On April 5th, legendary NBA referee and longtime Naperville resident Danny Crawford was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
A Hall of Fame career that spanned over 30 years
Crawford began working as an NBA referee in 1985, where he become one of the most respected officials in the game in a career that spanned 32 years until his retirement following the 2017 season.
In 1995, Crawford worked his first NBA Finals, beginning a streak of 23 consecutive years of NBA Finals appearances, including his final game in 2017.
Crawford officiated over 2,000 regular season games, 300 playoff games, three All-Star games and 30 NBA Finals contests.
Danny Crawford is just the 17th referee to be inducted into the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Raising a family in Naperville
Crawford and his wife moved from Evanston, Illinois to Naperville in 1993 where they raised their two children, Lia and Drew. Drew Crawford developed into a standout basketball player at Naperville Central, winning two DVC Player of the Year awards before going on to star at Northwestern from 2009-2014. He currently plays professionally overseas in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
A star studded Hall of Fame Class
Joining Crawford in the 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame Class are NBA legends Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard and current Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan. The 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic team is also being inducted, alongside legendary women’s basketball players Sylvia Fowles, Sue Bird and Maya Moore. Miami Heat owner Micky Arison was also selected in the Contributor’s category.
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