More Than Banners: Rainier Beach Honors a Legacy of Impact

New athletic facility celebrates lives changed far beyond the court.

SEATTLE – It takes more than wins and state championships to get your name on a building.

At Rainier Beach High School, it's easy to focus on athletic success – a basketball program with 10 state titles and a prodigious list of NBA alumni. But when the school officially dedicated its new gym, the Michael S. Bethea Athletic Complex, on Saturday, athletic accomplishments weren’t the story.

Yes, the newly hung championship banners are striking. But it was Bethea’s immeasurable impact off the court that resonated most as he cut the ribbon.

Bethea’s name is on the gym because he has changed – and even saved – lives. He doesn’t see himself as a hero, though.

“It’s just that simple,” he said. “That’s how my mom and dad raised me. That’s what God calls us to do – make a difference in people’s lives.”

While Bethea’s name now adorns the gym, it’s fitting Jamal Crawford’s will remain on the court. If anyone embodies the legacy Bethea has built at Rainier Beach, it’s Crawford.

Known for his humility and generosity, Crawford has always impacted lives quietly – helping others without needing praise or recognition. For every story that reaches the public, countless acts of kindness go unnoticed.

While speaking to the crowd in the new facility, Crawford spotted fellow Rainier Beach alum and former NBA standout Nate Robinson. Nearby Crawford’s sons, J.J. and Eric, stood by his mother, Venora Skinner.

Emotions took over.

“Put it this way: J.J. is 14, and he’s never seen me cry,” Crawford said. “Even him, I saw his eyes kind of tear up, and I was like, ‘whoa.’ And Eric – he’s 27 – never seen me cry. They think I’m a machine sometimes.”

The emotions truly hit when he saw Robinson – because every night, after learning his friend needed a kidney transplant, Crawford quietly prayed for him.

“Not one night did I miss, no matter where I was in the world,” he said. And, while Robinson was able to get his life-saving kidney transplant, Crawford continues to pray for Robinson, because that’s what families do.

Saturday was more than a dedication. It was a family reunion, full of hugs, tears, laughter, and classic stories, like the time Bethea made the basketball team run cross country to build mental toughness.

Bethea laid the foundation of Rainier Beach’s basketball legacy. Crawford is now helping carry that legacy forward. And next year, that legacy continues: J.J. Crawford will suit up as a Viking.

In the end, this new gym is more than a building. It’s a place where championships will, while character is built, futures are shaped, and community is family. And with Bethea’s name on the wall and Crawford’s on the floor, the legacy lives on.

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