Scott Foster and Tony Brothers, who will officiate their 17th and 13th Finals, respectively, are among the 12 referees chosen.
“Each of these 12 officials have shown excellent skills, focus and commitment throughout the season and in the previous playoff rounds,” President of League Operations Byron Spruell said. “Congratulations to this group for earning the right to work on the game’s biggest stage, the NBA Finals.”
Here are all 12 referees who will be used during the NBA Finals, which starts on June 6.
| Referee | NBA Finals appearance |
|---|---|
| Scott Foster |
17th NBA Finals appearance |
|
Tony Brothers |
13th NBA Finals appearance |
|
Marc Davis |
13th NBA Finals appearance |
|
James Capers |
12th NBA Finals appearance |
|
Zach Zarba |
11th NBA Finals appearance |
|
John Goble |
8th NBA Finals appearance |
|
David Guthrie |
7th NBA Finals appearance |
|
Bill Kennedy |
6th NBA Finals appearance |
|
Josh Tiven |
5th NBA Finals appearance |
|
Courtney Kirkland |
4th NBA Finals appearance |
|
James Williams |
4th NBA Finals appearance |
|
Kevin Scott |
2nd NBA Finals appearance |
Foster has been a polarizing official in the NBA. Several players have spoken about not liking him publicly, most notably Chris Paul, who has had a well-documented disdain for the referee. That came to a head last November when Paul said after a game that the way Foster officiates him is “personal,” saying, “The league knows, everybody knows, there’s been a meeting.”
Paul’s issue with Foster aside, though, he’s considered a well-respected game official amongst other referees and has officiated 24 NBA Finals games.
The NBA will announce the officiating assignments at 9 a.m. ET the day of each game during the Finals.
