Joe Crawford
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joey" Crawford (born August 30, 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
) has been an American
professional basketball
referee
in the National Basketball Association
(NBA) since 1977 and wears the uniform number 17. Crawford is one of the most experienced officials in the NBA and has developed a reputation for being eager to assess technical foul
s against both players and coaches. As of the 2006-07 NBA season
, Crawford has worked more playoff (266) and NBA Finals
games (38) than any other active referee in the league and appeared in the Finals every year between 1986 and 2006. In addition to playoff games, Crawford has officiated the NBA All-Star Game in 1986, 1992 and 2000, as well as the 1993 McDonald's Championship
in Munich
, Germany
.
, was a Major League Baseball
umpire
in the National League
from 1956 to 1975 and his brother, Jerry
, was a major league umpire from 1976 through 2010. Crawford currently resides in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He is married and has three children. He attended the same high school as Tim Donaghy
, a former NBA official.
for eight years from 1970 to 1977 and the Eastern Basketball Association (later the Continental Basketball Association
, or CBA) in 1974 and 1977. Following his work in the CBA, Crawford was hired by the NBA in 1977 at the age of 25.
investigation found that cash was being pocketed by referees when airline tickets provided by the league were downgraded. At the conclusion of a four year investigation, Crawford pleaded guilty on July 1, 1998 to falsely stating income of $82,500 from 1991 to 1993 and resigned from the NBA effective immediately. He was reinstated by NBA commissioner David Stern
in 1999 and did not miss a game due to a players' lockout
that started the 1998–99 NBA season.
and Philadelphia 76ers
on November 11, 2005. He was the fifth NBA referee in history to reach such a milestone, joining Jake O'Donnell
, Dick Bavetta
, Earl Strom
, and Tommy Nunez
.
superstar Tim Duncan
for supposedly laughing at Crawford from his seat on the bench during a game against the Dallas Mavericks
. Duncan also supposedly insulted Crawford with an expletive. Duncan alleges that Crawford asked if he wanted to fight. On April 17, Crawford was suspended for the remainder of the 2006-07 season
and the 2007 Playoffs
as a result of this altercation, ending his 21 consecutive Finals appearances. The league also fined Duncan $25,000 for verbal abuse of an official and warned that a repeat incident in the future would result in an ejection. Commissioner
David Stern said Crawford's actions "failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees." Crawford met with league officials on July 30 to discuss his future in the NBA but no resolution was reached. On September 17, 2007, the NBA announced Crawford's reinstatement. Commissioner Stern met with Crawford and stated, "Based on my meeting with Joey Crawford, his commitment to an ongoing counseling program and a favorable professional evaluation that was performed at my direction, I am satisfied that Joey understands the standards of game management and professionalism the NBA expects from him and that he will be able to conduct himself in accordance with those standards."
In the 2008 Playoffs
, Crawford was chosen to officiate Game 4 of the Western Conference final between the San Antonio Spurs
and the Los Angeles Lakers
. In the closing seconds of the game, there was a no-call where the Spurs' Brent Barry
was arguably fouled by Derek Fisher
. Crawford was the closest official to the call, and the NBA later apologized for the lack of a call.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
) has been an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
referee
Official (basketball)
In basketball, an official is a person who has the responsibility to enforce the rules and maintain the order of the game. The title of official also applies to the scorers and timekeepers, as well as other personnel that have an active task in maintaining the game...
in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) since 1977 and wears the uniform number 17. Crawford is one of the most experienced officials in the NBA and has developed a reputation for being eager to assess technical foul
Technical foul
In basketball, a technical foul is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a non-player. The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct...
s against both players and coaches. As of the 2006-07 NBA season
2006-07 NBA season
The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA...
, Crawford has worked more playoff (266) and NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
games (38) than any other active referee in the league and appeared in the Finals every year between 1986 and 2006. In addition to playoff games, Crawford has officiated the NBA All-Star Game in 1986, 1992 and 2000, as well as the 1993 McDonald's Championship
McDonald's Championship
The McDonald's Championship was an international men's basketball cup competition played between the champions of the continental club competitions and an NBA invitee...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Family
Joe's father, Shag CrawfordShag Crawford
Henry Charles "Shag" Crawford was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1956 to 1975. During his twenty seasons in the National League, Crawford worked more than 3,100 games and as a home plate umpire was notable for getting in a low crouch and resting...
, was a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
from 1956 to 1975 and his brother, Jerry
Jerry Crawford
Gerald Joseph Crawford is a former umpire in Major League Baseball. He first umpired in the National League in 1977, from 2000 through 2010 worked in both major leagues. He was a crew chief from 1998 through 2010...
, was a major league umpire from 1976 through 2010. Crawford currently resides in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He is married and has three children. He attended the same high school as Tim Donaghy
Tim Donaghy
Tim Donaghy is a former professional basketball referee who worked in the National Basketball Association for 13 seasons, from 1994 to 2007. During his career in the NBA, Donaghy officiated in 772 regular season games and 20 playoff games...
, a former NBA official.
Early career
Crawford officiated high school games in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
for eight years from 1970 to 1977 and the Eastern Basketball Association (later the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
, or CBA) in 1974 and 1977. Following his work in the CBA, Crawford was hired by the NBA in 1977 at the age of 25.
Airline ticket income investigation
In 1998, Crawford was one of eight NBA referees charged with filing false income tax returns after an Internal Revenue ServiceInternal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
investigation found that cash was being pocketed by referees when airline tickets provided by the league were downgraded. At the conclusion of a four year investigation, Crawford pleaded guilty on July 1, 1998 to falsely stating income of $82,500 from 1991 to 1993 and resigned from the NBA effective immediately. He was reinstated by NBA commissioner David Stern
David Stern
David Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
in 1999 and did not miss a game due to a players' lockout
1998–99 NBA lockout
The 1998–99 NBA lockout was the third lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . It lasted from July 1, 1998 to January 20, 1999, and forced the 1998–99 season to be shortened to 50 games per team and that season's All-Star Game to be canceled...
that started the 1998–99 NBA season.
Games officiated milestone
Crawford officiated in his 2,000th NBA game between the Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
on November 11, 2005. He was the fifth NBA referee in history to reach such a milestone, joining Jake O'Donnell
Jake O'Donnell
James Michael "Jake" O'Donnell is a former sports official who worked as a National Basketball Association referee for 28 seasons from 1967 to 1995, and also as an umpire in Major League Baseball for four seasons from to...
, Dick Bavetta
Dick Bavetta
Richard T. "Dick" Bavetta is an American professional basketball referee for the National Basketball Association . Since starting in 1975, he has never missed an assigned game. By the start of the 2006–07 NBA season, he had worked 2,164 regular season and 228 playoff games, including 24 NBA...
, Earl Strom
Earl Strom
Earl "Yogi" Strom was a professional basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association and for three years in the American Basketball Association . Strom is credited as the greatest referee in the history of the NBA and was known for his flamboyant style and ability to...
, and Tommy Nunez
Tommy Nuñez
Tommy Núñez is the founder of the Tommy Núñez foundation and a former NBA referee. He is the father of current NBA referee Tommy Núñez, Jr.. He was born on September 10, 1938 in Santa Maria, California.-External links:*...
.
Tim Duncan altercation
On April 15, 2007, Crawford ejected San Antonio SpursSan Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
superstar Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . The 6-foot 11-inch , 255-pound power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year...
for supposedly laughing at Crawford from his seat on the bench during a game against the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
. Duncan also supposedly insulted Crawford with an expletive. Duncan alleges that Crawford asked if he wanted to fight. On April 17, Crawford was suspended for the remainder of the 2006-07 season
2006-07 NBA season
The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA...
and the 2007 Playoffs
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
as a result of this altercation, ending his 21 consecutive Finals appearances. The league also fined Duncan $25,000 for verbal abuse of an official and warned that a repeat incident in the future would result in an ejection. Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
David Stern said Crawford's actions "failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees." Crawford met with league officials on July 30 to discuss his future in the NBA but no resolution was reached. On September 17, 2007, the NBA announced Crawford's reinstatement. Commissioner Stern met with Crawford and stated, "Based on my meeting with Joey Crawford, his commitment to an ongoing counseling program and a favorable professional evaluation that was performed at my direction, I am satisfied that Joey understands the standards of game management and professionalism the NBA expects from him and that he will be able to conduct himself in accordance with those standards."
2008 Playoffs
In the 2008 Playoffs
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
, Crawford was chosen to officiate Game 4 of the Western Conference final between the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
and the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. In the closing seconds of the game, there was a no-call where the Spurs' Brent Barry
Brent Barry
Brent Robert Barry is an American former professional basketball player. The , shooting guard was selected out of Oregon State University by the Denver Nuggets with the 15th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, but was traded shortly after to the Los Angeles Clippers.Barry played professionally...
was arguably fouled by Derek Fisher
Derek Fisher
Derek Lamar Fisher is an American professional basketball point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His NBA career has spanned more than 14 years, during which he has won five NBA Championships...
. Crawford was the closest official to the call, and the NBA later apologized for the lack of a call.