World renowned NBA referee will retire in 2016
January 14, 2016
Many sport fans can tell you their favorite team, favorite player, and love to argue with anyone that happens to say something different. But an avid sport fan will know the names of specific referees due to the fact that they have screamed through the TV at a bad call and cheered when the referee made a great one. One of the longest-serving referees in NBA history is expected to retire at the end of the 2016 season.
Joey Crawford will retire with 39 years under his belt, according to The Huffington Post. Crawford will not be retiring due to the loss of love in the sport. He names other reasons for his retirement.
“It’s not that you lose your passion,” said Crawford to The Huffington Post. “I have that. That’s insanity. But it just comes to the point where you say, ‘I don’t want to make a fool out of myself.’”
Crawford also hopes to end his career the right way.
“…I want to go out on a high note,” said Crawford to The Huffington Post. “I don’t want to go out on a low note. I want to be in the NBA Finals, and I don’t want to be reffing just for the sake of reffing.”
There is no doubt that throughout Crawford’s career he showed toughness, enthusiasm, and guts. According to The Huffington Post, Crawford told The New York times that he once broke a finger while giving a player a technical foul. And in regards to guts, many remember the time he got suspended in 2007 for challenging Time Duncan from the San Antonio Spurs to a fight.
While many will remember Crawford for making controversial and risky calls, many have expressed over various platforms of social media the magnitude of how much he will be missed.
Crawford is currently recovering from knee surgery, according to the Delaware County times. It is said that he will return and continue refereeing on March 1.
As basketball fans around the world anticipate Crawford’s return and a soon end to his career, his legacy will go down in history. According to The Huffington Post, he has officiated in more playoff games than any active referee in the league. He currently stands at a total of 313.
