Danny Crawford, the longtime NBA referee, is hanging up his whistle after 32 seasons as an official (you can read more about his career from USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt here.) So in the midst of the congratulatory tweets and messages, came this one from Shaquille O’Neal:
Of course he’s joking because this is the most Shaq response. But in an interview with the Chicago Tribune this week, Crawford had this to say about O’Neal:
Crawford called James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the league’s reigning most valuable player, the two most difficult current players to officiate. Shaquille O’Neal holds Crawford’s all-time title in that department.
“We were always two years behind catching up with all the stuff Shaq would do on the court,” Crawford said. “Shaq was the most difficult big man to referee in the history of the game. He was so massive, so physical, so dominant. Players would just flop because they didn’t know any other way to guard the guy. We had to concern ourselves with whether they’re flopping or if Shaq was just knocking the hell out of the guy.