Scott Foster leads the referee group for the NBA Finals
The NBA announced this Tuesday the selection of the 12 referees and two alternates who will officiate the final series between Indiana and Oklahoma City, highlighting Scott Foster, who will participate for the 18th time in this instance. Foster tops the list of most experienced officials. Tony Brothers and Marc Davis were selected for the 14th time, while James Capers and Zach Zarba will add their 13th and 12th appearances, respectively. John Goble will be present for the ninth time. David Guthrie reaches his eighth final, followed by Josh Tiven (sixth time), James Williams (fifth time), and Sean Wright (second time). This year, Tyler Ford and Ben Taylor will make their Finals debut, having been substitutes in the previous two seasons.Courtney Kirkland and Kevin Scott were designated as alternates. Foster has officiated the most NBA Finals games among this year’s referees, with 25, followed by Davis with 21 and Brothers with 17.We are grateful for these 12 individuals and their dedication to serving the game at the highest levels throughout the season. Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the highest honor for an NBA official, and I congratulate this exceptional group on this well-deserved achievement.
Byron Spruell, NBA President of League Operations
According to the usual format, each of the 12 referees will officiate one of the first four games of the series, forming a three-person team. If the series extends beyond the fourth game, the NBA will continue to assign referees from the same group.
The NBA Finals officials were selected based on their overall performance during the first three rounds of the playoffs. The NBA’s Referee Operations management team evaluated the officials after each round to determine their advancement in the postseason.
The officiating crews for each game are usually announced around 9 a.m. Eastern Time on game day.
