We can file this under the silly. The super silly, in fact. It’s not often we spend much time watching NBA refs stand around waiting for the game to start. But after reddit’s r/NBA page brought this to our attention, we wanted to share it with our readers. That’s primarily because Joey Crawford seems to inspire so much enmity. So here’s a chance to laugh at him… some more.
Yes, the same ref who tells NBA players to shut up like he’s an eighth-grade bully, and almost ejected a ball boy is also a fan of the butt pat.
This is totally fine and expected. Athletes have been slapping butts since time immemorial, and we sometimes slap the butts of our writers and editors when they write something truly inspiring (we don’t, really, but we do the cyber equivalent — it involves a complicated series of emojis and GIFs we don’t have time to share in this space). So it’s fine that Joey slapped fellow referee, Justin Van Duyne on the butt while working Sunday’s Hawks-Hornets game in Charlotte. The Hawks won a close one 94-92, and at some point in the game, Joey wanted to show Justin his appreciation.
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Van Duyne is in his second year as an NBA ref, but he’s already earned enough respect from Joey for a butt pat. Unfortunately, Crawford was blocked from giving him another one, but hopefully Justin still appreciated the show of support and is just more comfortable with his arms clasped behind his back, because there’s no higher distinction for an NBA ref than the now-famed Joey Crawford butt tap.
Well, that’s not really true. The highest honor bestowed upon an NBA ref is when Tim Donaghy punches you in the face.
