By Elena Perri • Posted September 1, 2026

There aren’t many moments when retired NBA referee Joey Crawford has felt intimidated. After all, millions of fans have watched him officiate NBA games in arenas and on TV throughout his 39-year career.

Preparing to give the most important speech of his life — his acceptance speech during the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on Aug. 15 — was one of those moments.

“That was intimidating because the greats of our sport were all there looking at you,” said Crawford, a member of SS. Simon and Jude Parish in West Chester.

He approached the speech the same way he prepared for NBA Finals games: Get really calm.

His speech garnered many compliments along with some negative comments on social media.

The negative feedback didn’t faze Crawford.

“I felt that was the funniest thing,” he said. “I had tears coming down my face. I said to my wife, ‘If you want something that keeps you really grounded, just look at this.’”

Crawford’s wife Mary, his daughters Amy, Megan and Erin, and their husbands, and his 10 grandchildren attended the ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Getting into the Naismith Hall of Fame selection is a rare opportunity for a referee. Only 18 other referees have been enshrined in the 67-year history of the hall.

Crawford’s career numbers are very impressive: 2,561 regular season games; 374 playoff games, a record high for NBA referees; and 50 NBA Finals games, including three Game 7s.

Officiating a Game 7 is an uncommon feat since only 20 NBA championship series have been decided in the final game.

During Crawford’s career there were only nine Game 7s, and he reffed three of them.

Jake O’Donnell, a fellow NBA referee who also lived in the Philadelphia area, called Crawford when he was selected to officiate Game 7 of the New York Knicks-Houston Rockets series in 1994.

“He says, ‘You savor this because you don’t know if you’re ever going to get another one,’” Crawford recalled.

O’Donnell knew the significance of the selection because he never had the chance to officiate a Game 7 during his 28 seasons in the NBA.

“I remembered those words,” said Crawford, a 1969 alumnus of Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield. “Each game 7 I got, I thought of Jake.”

After Crawford retired from officiating in 2016, he was hired as the NBA’s Director of Referee Performance. The upcoming basketball season will be his 10th and final one as director. He plans to retire next April.

“It’s great, but it’s a job,” Crawford said emphatically.

During the season he’s up early and begins reviewing footage from NBA, WNBA or G League games that were played the night before. Crawford does most of his work at home but has the option of traveling to watch games in person.

The goal of reviewing referee performances, he said, is to help them get better.

Crawford, who grew up in Havertown, attended St. Pius X School in Broomall.

Looking back on his Catholic school education, Crawford admits that he didn’t try to understand what he was taught about his faith.

“I got into religion more later in life, and I realized how valuable it was,” said Crawford who will turn 75 on Aug. 30. “I still value it.”

His favorite prayer is the Hail Mary. He attends Mass every Sunday and enjoys sitting quietly in the Adoration Chapel at SS. Simon and Jude.

Some of the friendships he made in grade school and high school have lasted decades.

“I didn’t realize it growing up how valuable those relationships were,” he said.

A few of Crawford’s grade school and high school friends traveled to the Hall of Fame ceremony to celebrate his major accomplishment.

The call to hall came on March 30 when John Doleva, Naismith Hall of Fame President and CEO, shared the exciting news with the legendary referee.

“It was incredible,” Crawford said.

After speaking with Doleva, thoughts of refereeing CYO games as an 18-year-old came to mind.

“My first weekend of refereeing, I did 13 CYO games,” he said. “A guy was teaching me how to ref, and I didn’t even get paid. I was just tagging along with him.”

With numerous CYO and other recreational basketball leagues in the Philadelphia area, it was easy for the young referee to get plenty of experience.

“I must have done a thousand CYO games,” Crawford estimated. “I would go all over the place and work with (experienced) referees who would teach me.”

While Crawford enjoyed being an NBA referee, being away from his family was difficult for him.

“Thank God for my wife because I was gone 20 to 25 days a month during the season,” he said. “She did everything, and she kept our marriage together.”

Crawford eventually asked his daughters how they felt about his prolonged absences.

“All three of them said, ‘Dad, we knew exactly what you were doing,’” he said. “It was for us, and life has been great for us because of basketball.’”

Having his family and friends there to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction was a special experience for Crawford.

“I looked over at my kids and my grandkids and my wife and saw that they were having a ball,” he said. “That made the whole thing.”

During his speech, Crawford reflected on the people who played important roles in his career: his father, Shag Crawford, who worked as a Major League Baseball umpire for 20 years, and Jake O’Donnell, who helped him realize his dream of becoming an NBA referee.

O’Donnell, who worked as an American League umpire for four seasons while also officiating in the NBA, attended Crawford’s basketball games, taught him about officiating, and helped him become an NBA referee.

Crawford ended up working alongside O’Donnell in the NBA and has never forgotten the impact he had on his career.

A touching moment happened when O’Donnell’s wife called Crawford the Monday after the Hall of Fame weekend.

“She said, ‘I just want to tell you that Jake’s dementia has gotten bad, but when he watched your speech, it was the first time I saw him laugh in six months,’” he said.

That conversation was a full-circle moment for Crawford, who remembers when O’Donnell came to watch him ref CYO games.

“Now I’m getting in the Hall of Fame, and his wife’s telling me how much he enjoyed my speech,” Crawford said. “It was just so awesome.”