The Most Bizarre Ejection In Basketball Just Became The Saddest

[ESPN] – Stern orders me to go see a Park Avenue psychiatrist. He tells me to go twice — two hours each session. This guy is going to make a determination on whether I’m crazy or not. I go up, and I’m scared to death. I’ve already been fined $100,000. I’m in a suit, and I’ve got sweat all the way down to my belt. So, this psychiatrist didn’t know a basketball from a volleyball. After two hours, he says, ‘OK, we’re all done.’ I said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I’m supposed to come another day for another couple of hours. Have you already decided I’m crazy?’ He said, ‘You’re not nuts.’ I said, ‘Well, what am I? What’s my problem?’ He said, ‘You’re overly passionate about your job.’ I thought, ‘OK, I can live with that diagnosis!’

So every NBA fan likely remembers this and remembers the name Joey Crawford. Arguably the most notorious ref in the NBA, Crawford ejected Tim Duncan for laughing on the bench. Here’s the entire scene if you want to relive it:

Now we know that Joey Crawford was suspended for the rest of the season and the playoffs. But, what we didn’t know is that Joey Crawford was ordered to go to therapy by David Stern. This is all part of the mental health series that ESPN is running, which as much as I hate to give ESPN credit, is worth reading. It’s a detailed look at everyone associated with the NBA battling mental health diseases and being able to tell their stories now.

Imagine the scene though if you’re the therapist. Here comes this sweaty man in a suit, probably looking uncomfortable into your office. Luckily the therapist didn’t know basketball therefore wouldn’t be scared of Joey Crawford just yelling at him. The response by Crawford though is a true basketball guy. He can just live with the diagnosis, that’s a basketball guy through and through.

In all seriousness it’s good to see Crawford doing well in retirement. It’s worth giving it a read and listening to him tell stories about this and David Stern in general. But, the fact that this led to him being forced into the therapy now makes it not only the most bizarre ejection but the saddest.