Today's NBA prefers relative anonymity from its referees. The players are the draw, not the refs—and we all know it.
But legendary referee Joey Crawford, easily the most recognizable and polarizing official the league has ever known, grandfathered into a different NBA.
"He is the last of that breed," fellow veteran NBA referee Danny Crawford told Bleacher Report. "The NBA wanted us to get away from the individual stuff, and he is the last of the old-school generation. He is one of a kind."
Crawford, who entered the league in 1977 at age 26, announced in January that the 2015-16 campaign would be his last. Unfortunately for Crawford, now 64, a knee injury has forced him to step away sooner than anticipated.
In the wake of his sudden retirement, Bleacher Report spoke at length with Danny Crawford, another prominent presence in the league's officiating circle, to discuss Joey's career.
Bleacher Report: When did you meet Joey Crawford?
Danny Crawford: I was hired by the NBA for the 1985-86 season. It was ...
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Article written by David Pick