NBA referee Ken Mauer is entering his 35th season in his position, the most of any official in the league. (Will Newton/Getty Images)
What does a NBA referee’s salary structure look like? Things could change after their most recent collective bargaining agreement — let’s go deeper on where things stand.
On Thursday, the NBA and National Basketball Referees Association agreed to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement that will run through the summer of 2029. Details in the new deal won’t be made public, per the league’s policy.
The NBRA ratifies 7-year contract with the NBA and is pleased with the outcome of the negotiations. pic.twitter.com/22NHS6SFn6
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) September 15, 2022
The league wants peace between the refs and its players, something that’s become an issue, particularly in recent years; Golden State Warriors four-time All-Star Draymond Green went as far as to say that refs are “ruining the game” back in 2018.
But consider this: There are more than 1,700 regular-season games and 160 playoff games. These professionals have an extremely rigorous travel schedule, the tiniest room for error, and deal with constant berating from fans and players alike. That got us thinking: How much do NBA refs make, anyway?
Simply put, it isn’t as easy as it may look — let’s examine where NBA referee salary standards stood before the new agreement.
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NBA Referee Salary Overview
Like most jobs in America, an NBA referee’s salary is based on both seniority and performance.
Entry-level referees’ compensation begins at $600 per game or roughly $250,000 per year.
Seasoned or professional referees earn $3,500 per game or up to $550,000 annually.
Additional compensation could also be included, should an official land a playoff game — they can earn between $800 and $5,000 per postseason game.
Every official is different, but use Sean Corbin as an example: He reportedly earns $7,000 per game and $29,000 for each semifinal and NBA Finals game. In the big picture, let’s take a look at the list and how long each has been on the big stage in the Association.
Highest-Paid Officials in the NBA($550,000):
Ken Mauer: Entering his 35th season.
Tom Washington: Entering his 30th season.
Scott Foster: Entering his 29th season.
Tony Brothers: Entering his 29th season.
Sean Corbin: Entering his 26th season.
James Capers: Entering his 26th season.
Rodney Mott: Entering his 23rd season.
Marc Davis: Entering his 23rd season.
Pat Fraher: Entering his 20th season.
Eric Lewis: Entering his 17th season.
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NBA referees salaries for this season and through the years
Whether it’s an infamous name listed as an official for a big game, a questionable ejection or even a gambling or travel expense scandal, refereeing is mostly a thankless job in the NBA.
It can also be a lucrative one.
While NBA officials don’t have nine-figure deals like some of the players they are calling fouls on, they still get sizable checks for patrolling games.
So just how much do NBA officials get paid? There isn’t a clear-cut answer.
Here’s a look at paydays and more for NBA referees.
How much do NBA referees get paid?
There is no consensus answer to how much money NBA referees are paid by the league.
The most recent estimations put NBA referees annual salaries between $180,000 and $550,000. Other projections put the base salary for new referees somewhere around $250,000.
Entry-level referees are on the lower end of that scale and receive larger paydays the longer they are in the league. Career Explorer Guide also estimated that a referee's salary can increase by $30,000 a game during the NBA Finals.
The figures referees receive today are nearly 10 times higher than it was in 1983, when officials made between $18,000 and $80,000 per season. In 1994, the estimated referee salary was between $72,000 and $177,000, according to Deseret. Even looking back a decade ago demonstrates the exponential growth of referee salaries. In 2009, NBA referee salaries began at $91,000.
There’s a select group of referees who have even earned some degree of celebrity status, frequenting playoff games and even leading some fans to speculate about potential disputes or issues they have with players and coaches. This group -- considered to be the cream of the crop around the league -- include names like Scott Foster, James Capers and Sean Corbin. These veterans are believed to be some of the highest-paid referees in the league.
What is the NBRA?
NBA referees banded together in 1973 to form the National Basketball Officials Association after enduring unfit labor conditions. An official union, called the National Association of Basketball Referees, was created in 1977 and is known today as the National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA).
The NBRA voted to strike during the 1977 NBA playoffs. After fans and players ripped the replacement officials hired by the league, the NBA settled the strike and recognized the NBRA as the sole bargaining group for referees.
The NBRA has encountered strikes and lockouts in the 44 years since its founding. In 2017, the NBRA expanded to include officials for the G League and WNBA.
How many referees are in the NBA?
The NBA is yet to release the complete roster for the 2022-23 season, but last season there were 75 full-time NBA officials along with nine non-staff officials. The league releases the refereeing assignments daily at 9 a.m. ET here.
Sports professions. PartⅠ-Referee Edition II "Basketball referee
Due to the rapid development of basketball, the position of an arbitrator in this game, and especially a qualified master of his craft, is always in demand. If you want to know more about the profession, read the article!
Small introduction
Knowing how to play basketball is good, but in order to understand and understand all the nuances of the game, you need to go to the basketball referee school.Only there you can learn, and in the future, correctly perceive the referee's gestures, as well as look at the game with their independent eyes. At the same time, basketball will cease to be a game of a beloved and someone else's team, words of praise for the work done will be replaced by outbursts of anger and booing of fans, before your eyes there will be not a ring into which you need to throw the ball, but a set of basketball laws, from where one by one you need to draw out the appropriate rule for a particular situation on the parquet, and it takes years for this process to become automatic. practice and constant training.
How to apply for an arbitrator position?
At the moment there are many basketball refereeing schools, the doors of which are open to everyone and fans of this sport. First of all, this is due to the lack of personnel in the globally growing game. It is best to start your career with 15-16 years old . You can later, but then it will be difficult to gain the necessary experience. FIBA has established a limit for qualifying as an international referee under 35 years of age. Although the age of some basketball referees exceeds 50 However, it is better to start early for a successful career.
In order to take part in refereeing city and regional championships, you need to have a referee license. It is issued for one year and after successfully passing the basketball rules test and the Metronome general physical fitness test.
Where does a career start?
Talented personnel in basketball are required everywhere and there are practically no problems with employment. But you will have to develop your abilities first from judging children's, youth, and then adult city competitions. With an increase in the amount of accumulated experience, the council of the regional federation on a competitive basis can recommend for the championships of the regional level. Aphorism "Training hard, fighting easy" applies to a basketball referee as it should be. After all, the weaker the level of the game, the more difficult it is to judge. It's all about preparation - a less technically savvy athlete allows more marriage - hence there are more violations. Only daily work on yourself: studying the rules, consulting and discussing controversial and interesting points in the game with other referees, can give you a chance to get into such leagues as VTB and FIBA . There is a lot of methodological material on the Internet for this, various video lessons, recordings from referee seminars.
Basketball referee salary!
Hmm... If we take the basketball federations of Ukraine and Russia, then this issue is not so simple. The bottom line is that the referee's salary should be paid by the state association, but in fact the money comes to him from the clubs participating in the championship. In this regard, the arbitrators have no social. packages and pension, as such. And the fees themselves remain in the shadows. Hence the question: how honest are the referees, whose salary depends on the teams?
Salary of the Chief Referee of the Ukrainian Super League - 800 dollars per match.
The salary of the chief referee of the European League - 500 dollars per match.
In NBA everything is much simpler, more transparent, and the amounts are more impressive:
• the contract of the novice referee is 200 thousand dollars a year;
• The contract of senior arbitrators with experience reaches 550 thousand dollars per year.
Per game playoff referee in NBA can receive from 4,500 to 25,000 dollars, it all depends on the stage of the match in the tournament - from the first to the final.
Nuances of this profession
If you have reached the level of a professional and refereeing has ceased to be a hobby, then you probably already know how basketball referees live. And if only at the beginning of your career path, then this spoiler is for you.
Referees spend most of their lives away from home. About 3.5 weeks a month they take trips from city to city, from hall to hall. During this time, they manage to serve from 12 to 15 basketball games. It's also interesting to know that referees rarely sleep at night. After the game, they sort out mistakes and unclear situations, and many communicate with other referees, discussing each other's matches. Referees sleep more during the daytime and get up a couple of hours before the game. A true professional refereeing a match always struggles with doubts about the correctness of his refereeing. And only after reviewing the game, drawing conclusions and sorting out the mistakes, he can sleep peacefully. You can't always be right, but you can strive for it!
Basketball referee - conductor with a cool head
Why did I choose this title for the article? The answer is simple. In the hall where the basketball game takes place, the stands are located in close proximity to the site, which does not impress much in size. And the judge hears everything that the audience shouts. Therefore, the pressure on the referee is higher than anywhere else. But the truth remains that no matter how loud the indignant cries around are, the referee on the floor makes the right decisions a thousand times more often than he makes mistakes. And guided by this, a true professional will turn all the appeals of the public into white noise, and the indignation of the players and coaches into elements of silent cinema.
In conclusion, I will quote the words of one basketball referee:
"A mistake does not turn me into an amateur, does not make me a layman. It only means that I am human."
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NBA referee salary: how much do NBA referees get?
The league involves a lot of money, due to which players receive solid salaries. In addition to the players, referees also make huge amounts of money in the NBA. The league has various high-profile referees known throughout the world for their accurate judgments and decisions. The job of an NBA referee is harder and more hectic than people realize, and details about an NBA referee's salary are rarely made public.
An NBA referee must be calm, confident and have concentration skills to make decisions in a tense game in front of crazy fans. A good NBA has patience and the ability to calmly handle stressful situations. They also have to face criticism from fans, but are NBA referees fairly paid? Here is a detailed guide on how much an NBA referee earns, average NBA referee salary, highest paid NBA referee and NBA referee salary compared to NFL, MLB and NHL.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the men's professional basketball league in the United States. It is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world. The league consists of 30 teams, 29 teams from the United States and 1 team from Canada. In total, 82 games were played in the regular season, and only 16 teams made it to the playoffs.
NBA referee salary guide : How much does an NBA referee earn?
It should be noted that the salaries of NBA referees are much lower than the salaries of NBA players. According to sources, NBA referees are paid between $180,000 and $550,000 per season.
The amount is huge, but compared to the player's minimum wage, the referee's salary is much lower. According to the NBA's Collective Agreement, even rookies cannot receive less than $898,310. Various notable NBA players earn around $XNUMX million per season.
Category
Match fees
Play-off match fee
Annual income
NBA Professional Referees
$1,500 to 3,500
$3,500 to $5,000
$500K
New NBA referees
$6.00
Not applicable
$250K
NBA Women Referees
$425
Not specified
$18K
The salary level of judges is determined depending on their experience. Entry-level referees are paid around $600 per match. If they operate at full capacity, they are paid $250,000 per season. Referee WNBA and even less. They receive only $425 per year or $425 per match.
Senior NBA officials can receive up to half a million dollars each. Referees with three to five years of experience typically receive $3,500 per game, and earnings per season can be as high as half a million dollars.
SEE ALSO: NFL Referee Salary: How Much Super Bowl Referees Get
All NBA and WNBA referees are members of the National Basketball Referees Association, and they are also eligible for other benefits such as travel expenses, insurance, and various retirement plans.
Related messages
Also, since they spend a lot of time on the courts, they spend a lot of money on their shoes. You can learn more about this at https://bestbasketballreview.com/best-outdoor-basketball-shoes/.
Professional NBA referees Salaries
Match officials
Salary per match
Play-off match Salary
Final match Salary
Annual salary
James Capers
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Sean Corbin
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Tony Brothers
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Rodney Mott
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Scott Foster
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Ken Mauer
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Pat Fraer
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Tom Washington
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Mark Davis
$7K
$9K
$29K
$500K
Eric Lewis
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Michael Smith
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Leon Wood
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Tony Brown
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Leon Wood
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
David Guthrie
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
John Goble
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Leroy Richardson
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Scott Wall
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Sean Wright
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Mark Ayott
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Derek Richardson
$7K
$9K
$25K
$450K
Some of the most popular and highly paid referees in the NBA are Scott Foster, Sean Corbin and the Tony Brothers.
In 2009, NBA referee salaries began at $91,000.
At the same time, basketball will cease to be a game of a beloved and someone else's team, words of praise for the work done will be replaced by outbursts of anger and booing of fans, before your eyes there will be not a ring into which you need to throw the ball, but a set of basketball laws, from where one by one you need to draw out the appropriate rule for a particular situation on the parquet, and it takes years for this process to become automatic. practice and constant training. 
Although the age of some basketball referees exceeds 50 However, it is better to start early for a successful career. 
It's all about preparation - a less technically savvy athlete allows more marriage - hence there are more violations. Only daily work on yourself: studying the rules, consulting and discussing controversial and interesting points in the game with other referees, can give you a chance to get into such leagues as VTB and FIBA . There is a lot of methodological material on the Internet for this, various video lessons, recordings from referee seminars. 
During this time, they manage to serve from 12 to 15 basketball games. It's also interesting to know that referees rarely sleep at night. After the game, they sort out mistakes and unclear situations, and many communicate with other referees, discussing each other's matches. Referees sleep more during the daytime and get up a couple of hours before the game. A true professional refereeing a match always struggles with doubts about the correctness of his refereeing. And only after reviewing the game, drawing conclusions and sorting out the mistakes, he can sleep peacefully. You can't always be right, but you can strive for it! 
But the truth remains that no matter how loud the indignant cries around are, the referee on the floor makes the right decisions a thousand times more often than he makes mistakes. And guided by this, a true professional will turn all the appeals of the public into white noise, and the indignation of the players and coaches into elements of silent cinema. 
The job of an NBA referee is harder and more hectic than people realize, and details about an NBA referee's salary are rarely made public. 
According to sources, NBA referees are paid between $180,000 and $550,000 per season. 
If they operate at full capacity, they are paid $250,000 per season. Referee WNBA and even less. They receive only $425 per year or $425 per match. 
