Referees probably have the most thankless job in the NBA. They are expected to make the right call every single time, and whenever they make the slightest of errors, it's as if the entire basketball world gets on their case.
This has been the norm for one of the most prominent game officials today, Joey Crawford, who has been refereeing in the NBA for over four decades now. The 66-year-old recently spoke with Jackie MacMullan of ESPN and shared the worst experiences of his career when a fan literally spit on his face. It involves the Golden State Warriors.
“Once I was spit on,” relayed Crawford. “That was the worst. It was in Golden State, in the mid-'90s, back when it was called the Oakland Alameda Arena. I was working with Billy Spooner, and he made a big call in the last minute. I don't remember the specifics. I just remember as we were walking out, a guy spit at me. He hit me right on the side of my face.”
With the uncountable number of game-changing moments he has been involved in, Crawford cannot even remember the exact reason that led to this appalling show of disrespect. However, what remains fresh in his memory is the single act that characterized the ugliest part of officiating.
Referees are just humans, too. They too feel disappointment, disbelief, and rage. According to Crawford, he was barely able to hold in his anger in that moment.
“If I could have gotten to him, I would have killed him,” claimed Crawford. “The cops were escorting us out of the arena, so they kept me from having that chance.”
This is definitely an extreme sentiment on the side of Crawford, which just shows how terrible life can be for referees.
Obviously, Joey Crawford isn't painting the Warriors fan base with a broad bush.
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