Joey Crawford
COLLECTED WISDOM INTERVIEWED BY ERIK HORNE, STAFF WRITER, EHORNE@OKLAHOMAN.COM
Longtime NBA official is retiring, putting to an end one of the most illustrious (and highlight-filled) careers of all time.
Crawford had planned to return from a torn meniscus suffered Dec. 4 then retire at the end of the season, but his knee hasn’t responded well enough to rehab. Crawford officiated 2,561 regular season games, 344 playoff games and 50 NBA Finals games.
Over his 39-year career, Crawford became a part of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s history, in games both run-of-the-mill and unforgettable. A few weeks after Crawford had time to digest his retirement announcement, he’s started to make the media rounds.
Crawford, 64, took some time for The Oklahoman:
I grew up with a bunch of guys right outside of Philly ... all we did was play basketball. I just loved the sport. I knew I wanted to be an official of some kind. I did a little bit of baseball. I liked it but not as much as basketball. I tried to do as many games as I possibly could to get to the NBA.
Most people weren’t refereeing at a young age back then (1969, 1970). We were really lucky back on the east coast back in those days. There was the Eastern Pro league which became the CBA (Continental Basketball Association). There were nine million leagues and good players. I was 21 and got into the Eastern League for four years and got into the NBA at 25. I was very, very lucky. It’s a professional relationship with the players. You’ll see a young guy come in and it’s just like anything else. They’re shy. They really don’t know what’s going on. Then it’s 4-5 years later when you have a professional relationship when you can talk. I remember having a conversation with Jamal Crawford as a kid. I think his first team was Chicago. I called him ‘Cuz’ because we have the same last name. As the years went on, he now calls me ‘Cuz.’ We’re really lucky because we’re working the same people all the time and they get to know you. It’s really cool.
We don’t care about that crap. It’s not that kind of relationship, not at all. You’re only seeing them once every few months.
You try to treat the players and coaches with respect. I have very little dialogue; I do not speak to players and coaches unless they speak to me because their job is so hard. If a player wants to talk, then I have a conversation with them. I don’t seek players out on the court and officials that do, we refer to them as “politicians.”
For example, we get a college kid and he comes into the league, all our fouls and all our violations go to the side. In college and high school, fouls below the free-throw line, they take it to the baseline. Sometimes players they run to the baseline. I tell the player that everything in the pros is to the side.
He always said that to me. And I always said “Kevin, I’m not mad.” Sometimes what happens is you get mad at yourself. Deep in your stomach you know you got the play wrong. You’re not mad at the player or the coach, you’re mad at yourself. It’s far from being mad at the player, it’s far from that.
They want the referees to run the game, and have the players adhere to the rules. They don’t want everyone out there hollering and screaming. That made me feel good that Kevin said that (that I was consistent). We’re all trying to get to the same position (on the court) to where we can call the plays all the same.
With 63 people, it’s easier to train them than it is a thousand college guys. We’re all striving for that consistency. Some nights are better than others, just like players and coaches.
Rod Thorn, our boss at the time, told me so. We rely on our training. I was trained that if that scoreboard is wrong to correct it. I probably should have waited for Kevin to shoot his free throw. But what if he misses and the coach is yelling “take a foul” because of what he’s looking at on the scoreboard. Is it (running out) logical? Thorn, who is a logical guy, said he would have preferred you waited for the free throw.
But he didn’t and just said “I missed the free throw.” There’s a lot to be said for what he did.
If the ball’s going in, everybody’s happy. If not, nobody’s happy. We talk about that all the time in the locker room ‘Gee, I hope the ball goes in tonight.’ We have a manual we have to follow, we’re judged by it on a nightly basis. We have plays just like teams have plays and we’re trying to get to a spot where the ball is and that’s where your mindset is, you really want the ball to go in.
Never. I work out a lot, but I think I’d have a tough time running Westbrook into a stanchion. He’s a well put together guy.
Not only is it physical to do the job, but your other months are all about taking care of your body. It’s a great career, a long career and it just caught up to me. Thirty-nine years of refereeing just finally took its toll.” They remember the ones that they get, we don’t remember the ones that we give. Those kinds of conversations you’ll have with players and it’s all in good fun. If you don’t watch tape and you’re not critical of yourself, you will not grow as a ref. A young lady who’s going to her first camp, we watched tape for two and a half hours the other day. When I first broke in, it was word of mouth. Now, our management team sends out plays and plays and plays. The day of the game, our crews are watching tape in the hotel at 11 a.m.
Those kind of plays that don’t happen that often. It was out of the ordinary. I didn’t like the whole sequence. I can take the criticism, that’s part of who I am. I just laugh at it. (My family) probably takes it harder than I do.
I totally disagree with that. Some days they have to be visible because the game makes you visible. I don’t know what to say about that because I always laugh at that. I don’t think on those terms. If you have to do your job, you’re gonna have to be visible.
You know, this is five months I’ve been sitting at home. I’m a basketball degenerate. I watch every game that’s on, but I’m watching refs. I’ve got (NBA League Pass). We’ll see what happens with the league. I would love to do something. I want to teach officiating. I have a passion and love for it and we’ll see what happens. Without them what would we be? “He’s self-serving, He’s a moron, I hope he dies!” ... I think it’s great!