Blacks shine as referees in the NBA

Jet, May 5, 1997

In a professional basketball game the athletes may have the fans' undivided attention with their high-flying slam dunks and other fancy moves, but it is the referees who are the bosses on the court, and Blacks shine as referees in the NBA.

The NBA has more Blacks officiating games than any other professional sport. Out of the 58 referees, 18 are Black. Those referees are Bennie Adams, Tony Brothers, James Capers, Sean Corbin, Dan Crawford, Hugh Evans, Luis Grillo, Hue Hollins, Jim Kinsey, Ronnie Nunn, Leroy Richardson, Eddie F. Rush, Michael Smith, Derrick Stafford, George Toliver, Tom Washington, Leon Wood and Tommie Wood.

Three of the current Black referees were ranked in the top 20 of all 58 NBA referees during the 1995-96 season as appraised by an official group that included caches, general managers and NBA Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations Rod Thorn.

Hugh Evans ranked second, Dan Crawford was seventh and Hue Hollins was tenth.

Thorn said the league looks for the most qualified individuals when hiring referees, and he boasts about the fine quality of Black referees who work within the NBA. He added that he believes many aspiring Black referees want to work in the NBA.

"I think more Black Americans are given more of an opportunity in a sport like professional basketball, so they are looking to be there than any other sport," he told JET.

That diversity also includes women. Currently there are two who have officiated NBA pre-season games: Violet Palmer, who is Black, and Dee Kanter.

Most of the NBA referees are in their 30s. The youngest official currently is 29 years old, and there are some veterans who are in their 40s.

NBA referees have a tough job. While they are right on top of the action and have the best view of the game, they also must face the wrath of the fans, coaches and players more so than receive their praise. They call the fouls, make sure the NBA rules and regulations are followed and keep everyone in his place. They have the power of the technical foul and the ejection, which means they can make someone shut up or leave the building with just one gesture of their hand and quick blow of their whistle.

Three officials work a game -- an umpire, a referee and a crew chief. The rookie referee is the umpire, who usually has the least amount of experience. Next in the hierarchy is the referee. The most experienced on the court is the crew chief. Any official can make a call, but if there is a question about rules and regulations or the clock, Thorn said he expects the crew chief to step up because of the experience factor.

The pay is nothing to sneeze at. Referees coming into the league can make about $77,000 a year, and as the person gains more experience, he can make as much as $224,000 a year, Thorn said. He added that officials also are paid bonuses for play-off games.

Referees also travel quite a bit. They work about 68-75 games out of an 82-game regular season. And, all of those are away from home unless they are lucky enough to happen to get an assignment in their home town.

The NBA referees are an elite group. But what does it take to become a member?

"The most important thing to have is experience" noted Thorn about becoming one of the chosen few.

To be seriously considered to be an official, one must have a wealth of experience, preferably in the highest level possible. The NBA sends scouts to college games, usually Division I, to Pro-Am games and to games in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).

It is in those higher levels, which are the most visible, that potential referees get noticed by the NBA. Thorn added that if he receives a letter of interest from someone, he advises the person to send him a resume with some references to be considered as well.

Once someone gets noticed, he is invited to the NBA's training camp for referees.

The most important thing an official must know is the NBA rules book. Thorn said the candidate should know it backward and forward." While realizing that even referees make mistakes, numerous miscalls can quickly put an official out of a job.

Referees must also go through a comprehensive physical exam during camp. They are expected to remain in good physical condition. Thorn said the NBA does not monitor referees' eating habits or their workout routines. However, referees must stay within a certain weight range. If they can't do it, Thorn said, their work load could be reduced significantly.

Because of a collective bargaining agreement, all referees hired by the NBA don't necessarily start out working NBA games. Many of them begin to gain experience in the CBA.

Referees must not only be able to keep up with the game physically, they must be mentally tough as well.

"It's one of the most important things an official needs to have," Thorn said. "For many years the league operated under the theory that if someone asks a legitimate question, the referee would give a non-confrontational answer and try to remain as anonymous as possible. In other words, they were not supposed to really talk to coaches and players. But some players and coaches looked at that as a sign of disrespect, so in the last couple of years, the league has urged referees to use their personalities more in answering questions and dealing with players and coaches during a game."