How to Become a Basketball Referee?

Becoming a basketball referee could be a very considerable means to remain participated in your most favorite sport.

However, it could be possible that you have applied several times to become a basketball player, but you somehow failed to get approved for any reason. This time, you can become a basketball referee.

Although there are numerous basketball leagues, and every league differs from the other in terms of rules, principles, and criteria. But the NBA league is top amongst all.

Anyhow, if you pay a little bit of interest in the job of NBA referee, I have brought some fantastic tips and tricks to become the one.

Getting started to become an NBA referee is not an overwhelming process; all you need is to follow some steps, and you would become a successful NBA referee.

Thus, remain with me to know about every little attention to detail so that you don’t miss a single thing.

Requirements to Become an NBA Basketball Referee

Before applying for an NBA referee, there are some requirements that you must fulfill to pursue your career for a longer period in this sport. So, have a look at these requirements mentioned below:

  • You just show your passion for basketball.
  • You should know everything about basketball.
  • You must be patient in every affair.
  • You should maintain an excellent physical shape, have a good vision, and decent observational abilities.
  • You should have good supervisory skills.
  • Once you have identified that you have got all these skills, you can simply apply for the NBA referee position.

Steps to Become an NBA Referee

Being a great referee depends on the skills you carry and the fulfillment of some requirements discussed above. However, depending on these skills, the candidate must pass a qualification test and then proceed further.

Pass the Qualification Tests

Firstly, you must have a qualification certificate before applying for an NBA referee. For this, the minimum requirement is a high-school basketball diploma.

But, if you get qualified in more than that, the chances would be increased to become an NBA referee. These qualification tests include:

Have Knowledge of Rules

Before you take admission into any basketball academy, you must have some basic knowledge of the rules, principles, tactics, and strategies used in the sport. Because in order to pass the tests and trials of the game, you must know about the basic rules of basketball. 

Learn about the Rules

Many people contain some fundamental knowledge about basketball, but they do not have in-depth information about everything about basketball.

For instance, how different leagues are different from each other in terms of rules and criteria, the difference between the 5-second and 10-second rules, and many other things.

Pass Written Exams and Tests

To get official certificates, you must pass a written exam and conduct some tests and trials. However, this can be only possible if you carry knowledge about the sport.

Based on live tests, you would be evaluated and get certifications. After passing the written exams and tests, you would be sent for training and then get certificates.

Get an Amount of Experience

To get entered in the NBA league as a referee, you first need to get experience by becoming a referee in high-school basketball or college basketball and spending a period of your life there. In every field, experience matters a lot. The more experience you gain, the more changes you acquire to get hired.

Nonetheless, if you don’t have the experience, you can apply in NCAA or high-school basketball for a lower position like a rookie referee. Thus, with time and according to your skills and performances, you would get promoted and move towards higher ranks.

Get Registered with the NBA

Once you believe that you’re now ready to apply for an NBA league, you can withdraw from the NCAA or high-school basketball league. After leaving these leagues, you must collect your experience certificates to show in the NBA league.

Get registered by logging into the official website of the NBA. Once you’ve registered yourself on the website, you would get every news from here.

You would also learn how you can get participated in the NBA camps and get professional training. Through this website, you can also get information about the location of the events and their research about new NBA players and referees. 

So, register yourself on the NBA’s official website and get informed about every single news of the league.

If you get hired by the NBA as a referee, continue learning about new things. No matter how much knowledge you have, always see yourself as a learner. 

How Much does NBA Referee Make?

If I talk about the salary of the initial referees in the NBA, they can approximately make $100,000 per year. The more they get experienced, their salaries increase according to their positions. A high-level referee can make up to $300,000 annually. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a referee and an umpire?

Although a referee and an umpire have the same responsibilities, there is a slight difference between them. An umpire watches out the players’ match and moves and is enforced to maintain the game throughout. While a referee also watches out the game but he has more load of responsibilities on his shoulders. 

Who is the highest-paid referee in the NBA?

Joseph Crawford is the highest-paid referee in the NBA league who has been in the league since 1977 till 2016. Joseph has made the record of playing 50 NBA finals and 313 playoffs. He has been reported to be salaried, probably $166,000 per year.

Wrapping Up

So, these were some of the steps and tactics to get hired by the NBA for the designation of a referee. On every level, the requirements are different, so you must be ready for every test and trial while getting registered in the NBA. Moreover, always learn from everyone and try to adopt new strategies for better execution.