The year Joey Crawford became an NBA household name, the veteran referee started to question who he was.

Crawford detailed in a recently published ESPN feature what was probably the lowest point of his refereeing career, when during the 2007 season, he tossed Spurs big man Tim Duncan from a game for laughing on the bench. The incident, which Crawford explained was preceded by other run-ins he’d had with coaches and players over the years, angered then-NBA commissioner David Stern so much he suspended Crawford for the rest of the season and the playoffs, fined him $100,000 and told him to get professional help.

Crawford knew, too, he had to find a way to manage his aggression. He just didn’t know in that moment how hard the process would be.

“Duncan was sitting on the bench laughing. And I threw him,” Crawford said of the ejection during that April’s Spurs-Mavericks game. “That laugh bothered me. I thought it was incredibly disrespectful. But I knew the minute it happened I was gonna be in trouble.

“[The suspension] was a big deal. It really shook me. … I thought there was a good chance my career might be over. Stern orders me to go see a Park Avenue psychiatrist. He tells me to go twice — two hours each session.”

Little came of those first visits, as Crawford said he didn’t click with the psychiatrist Stern recommended. Once Crawford started having blowups at home with his family, he knew he needed to take his path toward wellness a step further, leaning on his fellow referees and ultimately one special psychiatrist.

“I ended up going to see Dr. Joel Fish in Philadelphia. Everybody in Philly in the sports world went to see him when they were having problems. The guy saved my career,” Crawford said. “I started seeing him a couple of times a week. He would tell me, ‘Joe, if you feel [the anger] coming on, just do something with your hands. Put them by your side or behind your back.’ He told me, ‘Keep reminding yourself, calm down, calm down. If somebody was getting on me about a bad call, he’d remind me, ‘Slow your breathing down. Remind yourself you’re a good ref.’

“Those things helped me get through my last 10 years in the NBA.”

Crawford, 66, retired in 2016 with more playoff games (313) and NBA Finals games (50) under his belt than any other active referee in the league. The only Finals series he missed after 1986 was that of the infamous 2007 season.