Joey Crawford’s unforgettable career as an NBA referee, for better or for worse, has officially come to an end.
According to a report by Steve Aschburner of NBA.com on Thursday, the 64-year-old Crawford is retiring effective immediately due to a knee injury.
Crawford, who worked as an official in the league for the last 39 seasons, had been sidelined since November with a meniscus tear in his right knee. He underwent surgery in early December and had hoped to be back in March to finish the remainder of the 2015-16 season. But Crawford’s recovery went slower than expected, forcing him to call it quits a few months early. Crawford had already announced his intentions to retire upon the end of this season.
Crawford steps away from the game as the NBA’s most senior referee and perhaps its only household name amongst officials.
A skilled referee whose officiating prowess was often overshadowed by his rambunctious persona, on-court antics, and notoriously quick trigger for handing out technical fouls, no official will ever do it quite the way that Joey Crawford did.
