From being an NBA player for 18 years and entering sports broadcasting as an on-air analyst, Richard Jefferson now adds “NBA Referee” to his resume!
Screenshot: @richardajefferson
The former Cleveland Cavaliers player tried his hand at officiating in the NBA Summer League during the Portland Blazers and New York Knicks game last July 12.
.@Rjeff24 changed his first-ever call as an NBA official ? pic.twitter.com/F9ffWzUs79
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 12, 2022
The 17-year NBA veteran was tapped to officiate the game’s 2nd quarter after the league shared that Jefferson attended the Summer League Officiating meeting in Las Vegas upon the start of the season.
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The NBA veteran received mixed reactions about his officiating—some didn’t hesitate to call him out when he made bad calls and got booed when he awarded the ball to the wrong team.
Richard Jefferson just blew his first call as a ref, much to the delight of everyone in attendance pic.twitter.com/7Cic54Ox6Y
— Cooper Halpern (@CooperHalpern) July 12, 2022
Jefferson reportedly wanted to experience becoming a referee to gain more knowledge about basketball, which could also help him become a better analyst.
Why do this?
1. Tremendous amount of knowledge about our game that I’ve learned sitting in classes with the best refs in the world
2.I do this because not many people would dare put themselves in this position. The more info I have the more informed I am as a broadcaster ?— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) July 11, 2022
Got more stories of athletes who switched careers? Let us know!Â
