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Questions and Answers Q.  How many refs are there in the NBA today? Q.  I know the refs are full-time, but do refs have other jobs? How many hours in a week do you spend officiating?  What do you do when you’re not in season? Q.  What do the officials do during half time of games? Watch the half time show? Rest up and get some water? Q.  I was wondering that if there’s any possibility for me to purchase/order an NBA Reebok referee shirt/jersey? Q.  How much do NBA refs make? Q.  How is the crew chief determined for each game? Q.  What do I have to do to become a NBA referee? Q.  I was wondering if officials are responsible for their own travel arrangements (expenses, reservations) or does someone do it for them? Q.  Player takes a legitimate attempted shot and misses everything but catches the "rebound". Can player then dribble again? Q.  I am an aspiring referee and I was wondering what type of things do you look for while reviewing the game tape and how do you document it on paper for improvement? Q.  I noticed that Tommy Nunez Jr. was born in 1959, the same year I was born. I would like to know how old he was when he entered the NBDL and the NBA. He must have been in his late forties if my math is correct. Q.  I noticed that more NBA referees have decided to use their whistles sans the lanyard. Is this something that Supervisor Nunn is espousing? If so, why? Does it slow up a referee's timing? I, myself, do not use a lanyard because when I started officiating years ago, most officials (IAABO that is), never used a lanyard. In fact, if I remember correctly, Richie Powers and others of his ilk like Joe Gushue, Eddie Middleton, et al. did not use a lanyard. Q.  I had sent an email to find out referee schedules for games. Is there anyplace I can get those schedules to see what games specific referees are calling? Q.  I notice that refs Garretson, Wall and Brown have been teamed together for several games lately. Is this normal for the same crew to be together for an extended period? Q.  I know that the NBDL is the official developmental league for the NBA. Is the CBA still considered an official developmental league for the NBA? In addition, are referees who aspire to go into the NBA still sent to the CBA? It appears to me that the route to the NBA is going through the NBDL or CBA and then the WNBA before a referee goes to the NBA. Is this observation accurate? Q.  Besides playoff games, are some regular season games deemed as more important than others thus they are deserving of more experienced officials? For example, the Lakers and Heat game on Christmas was officiated by 3 veteran officials with a combined 65 years of experience. Was this done on purpose? Q.  Is the NBA referees uniform available to the public? Q.  I am wondering if a referee or another authority can settle a bet. It involves traveling. A friend says that if you dribble, stop dribbling and take two steps, you have to either shoot or pass or else you will be called for traveling. I argue that when you dribble and hold the ball for two steps, if you establish your pivot foot, you can hold the ball and it will not be traveling. I believe that I have seen in games where a person is driving towards the hoop for a layup, will pump fake (if they see that a defender will block their shot) and hold the ball after taking two steps, and then shoot or pass. Who is right? Q.  I have noticed that Jack Nies is almost 70 years old. Is there a certain age when the refs have to retire by? Q.  I'm a high school ref and teacher and aspire to be an NBA ref someday. What does the benefits and pension program offer each NBA ref? Q.  I'm always looking for ways to become a better official, but other than practicing mechanics and reading the rulebook, are there any specific training routines that are unique within NBA officials to hone their game and become better officials? Q.  I am an active official in England, and watch the NBA on TV over here. I notice that many of the signals you guys make are different to the FIBA-issued signals -- Offensive fouls and time-outs immediately spring to mind. Why is this, and what other signals are different? Many thanks for your help! Q.  I'm looking for the ref who officiated Michael Jordan's comeback All Star Game -- I haven't seen him reffing. He's a good ref and has good poise. Q.  I was wondering what ever happened to referee Anthony Jordan who is also no longer on the roster? Q.  If a player is going to the basket and executes a "late gather jump stop" so either foot can be the pivot foot. Can the player then jab with the right foot (establishing the left foot as the pivot foot) then lift the pivot foot while the right foot is still on the ground, jump off the right foot and shoot before either foot hits the ground again. Is this a legal move or traveling? Q.  In nearly every game, I see an offensive player pump fake, the defender rises in the air and the offensive player jumps toward the defender and goes to the line for two shots. Can you explain why this is a defensive foul? Q.  I have searched high and low to find the answer to this question: How is it determined which end of the court each team will start the game at? About 95% of the time, the home team starts at their end of the court, but a few times, I have seen that it's the opposite. How is this determined? Q.  In the NBA rules, it describes a player being able to take two counts and stop, dribble, or pass. Can one count equal one step? In other words, can a player take two steps (of not dribbling) and come to a stop and not be called for traveling? A friend of mine insists that if a player takes two steps, he needs to either pass or shoot or else it is a traveling violation.

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