Jae Crowder went through an emotional roller coaster the day he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers by the Boston Celtics.
The forward not only was traded, along with Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic and, eventually, two draft picks for Kyrie Irving, but his mother, Helen, also lost her battle with cancer and died at the age of 51.
Crowder reflected on the emotions of that day during his introductory press conference, including when he told his mother about the trade minutes before she died.
“There was a lot going on that day, obviously,” Crowder said, via WEEI.com. “The good thing about the whole ordeal was I was able to whisper it to my mom before she passed. I was with her. I just told her, ‘We’re going to Cleveland.’ Five minutes later, she passed.
“That day was tough, but it was a good day for myself, for my basketball career, to move on to an organization like this, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, to put myself in a position to play for it all. I couldn’t ask myself for nothing else. I was thankful for Boston, for everything they’ve done for me, and for trading me to a team like this. I was thankful for the opportunity. But that day was pretty wild.”
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
