Basketball Referee

A Basketball Referee is paid by basketball leagues to officiate basketball games, objectively enforcing the rules while also maintaining the pace of the game, promoting sportsmanship, and ensuring the safety of players.

When they’re out on the town, NBA superstars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony rule the world. They eat at all the best restaurants. They dance at all the trendiest clubs. And they stay at all the swankiest hotels.

When they’re on the basketball court, however, even the most popular players have to follow the rules — and it’s the job of a Basketball Referee to make sure they do.

If you’re a Basketball Referee, you might referee for local youth leagues and high schools, or at the college and professional levels. Always, however, your duties include pre-, in- and post-game activities.

Before basketball games, for instance, you conference with other officials to discuss duties and rules, check the game ball against regulations, and introduce yourself to Coaches and players. During the game, meanwhile, you signal when play is stopped and started, make calls about fouls and rule violations, and mediate on-court conflicts, which sometimes requires ejecting players or Coaches from the game. And finally, after the game, you secure the game ball, then fill out and file official game reports.

Admittedly, you’re not always beloved by teams and fans. Like a Judge who maintains the integrity of the justice system, however, it’s not your job to be liked. It’s your job to be fair, and you take that job very, very seriously. Your stripes, stopwatch, and whistle prove it!