Partway through a postgame video review within the bowels of the arena, referees Cheryl Flores and Robert Hussey hang their heads in dismay and disbelief over a missed call. Today’s crew is overseen by 10th-year veteran NBA referee Ben Taylor, who has just pointed out the officiating error on a monitor in the locker room. […]
Once statistics for an NBA game have been collected, their lifespan of usefulness is only just beginning. Players rely on them to hone skill development; teams leverage them for game-planning and scouting; fans and media alike use them to build or further a plethora of narratives. The data the NBA collects on its referees is […]
The concept of constant evolution in sports isn’t exclusive to athletes and tactics. It’s central to the men and women who officiate the games as well. Referee mechanics — where to stand, how to move, who makes which calls — weren’t taught uniformly in the NBA until the early 1980s, over 30 years into the […]