How Many Black Referees Are In The NBA?

The NBA has a long history of discrimination against black referees. There are currently only eleven black referees in the entire league. This number is shockingly low, considering that over 70% of NBA players are black. This lack of diversity among referees is yet another example of the league’s systemic racism.

The NBA’s history with black referees

In the NBA, Black referees make up 26 percent of the officiating staff, the league announced Monday. According to an analysis by The Athletic, that is the highest percentage of any of the four major U.S. professional sports leagues. The NFL has 21 percent Black referees, Major League Baseball has 14 percent and the NHL has 10 percent.

The first black referee in the NBA

In February of 1988, the National Basketball Association hired its first full-time black referee, Dee Kantner. Kantner had been a part-time NBA official for two seasons and was one of only four black referees in the league at the time.

The hiring of Kantner was an important moment in the NBA’s history, but it did not immediately result in an increase in the number of black referees in the league. In fact, it would be another decade before another black referee was hired full-time by the NBA.

It wasn’t until 1997 that the NBA hired its second full-time black referee, Olandis Poole. Since then, the number of black referees in the NBA has slowly but steadily increased.

As of 2019, there are 18black referees out of a total of 63referees in the NBA. While this represents a significant increase from when Kantner was first hired, it is still far from proportional to the percentage of black players in the league.

As recently as 2014, there were only 10black referees in the NBA. The low number of black referees relative to players led to accusations that the league was discriminating against Black officials.

In response to these accusations, then-NBA commissioner Adam Silver implemented a rule change that required each team to interview at least one minority candidate for every open officiating position. This rule change appears to have had a positive effect, as the number of black referees has nearly doubled since it was implemented.

The percentage of black referees in the NBA today

As the National Basketball Association celebrates Black History Month, a look at the league’s history shows that while the percent of black players has risen steadily, the number of black referees has remained at a discouraging low.

According to an analysis by nodesign, as of Feb. 6, 2020, there are 27 black referees in the NBA out of a total of 122 — or 22%. This is up from last year when there were 24 black referees, but it’s still lower than the 26% recorded in 2016 and 2017. In fact, the percentage of black officials has remained largely unchanged since 2014, when nodesign began tracking this data.

The lack of diversity among NBA referees is concerning because it’s not reflective of the league’s player population. Blacks make up approximately 74% of the league’s players, according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport’s 2019 Racial and Gender Report Card.

This dearth of diversity among NBA referees is even more glaring when compared to other major U.S. sports leagues. For instance, 47% of NFL officials are people of color and 33% of Major League Baseball umpires are people of color, according to a 2019 BBC report.

One reason for the low number of black NBA officials may be that there are simply fewer blacks officiating basketball games at lower levels. According to a 2009 New York Times report, only about 15% percent of college basketball referees were black. And according to nodesign’s research, as of Feb. 6, 2020, there are just 12 black female officials in the WNBA out of a total poolof 44 — or 27%.

The lack of black referees in the NBA

The NBA has a big problem on its hands. There are very few black referees in the league. In fact, out of the 58 officials currently employed by the NBA, only six are black. This lack of diversity is a problem for a league that is supposed to be a model of inclusion.

The reasons for the lack of black referees in the NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been facing criticism in recent years for the lack of diversity among its referees. As of the 2018-19 season, only 19% of NBA referees are black, even though about 75% of NBA players are black. This discrepancy has led to accusations that the league is biased against black referees.

There are a number of possible explanations for the lack of black referees in the NBA. One reason may be that there is a smaller pool of qualified black referees to choose from. According to a 2017 report by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, only 24% of officials working in NCAA Division I men’s basketball are black. This means that the pool of potential NBA referees is already quite small.

Another reason for the lack of diversity among NBA referees may be that the league’s training and development programs are not effective at recruiting and retaining black officials. In a 2016 interview with NPR, Jimmy Butler, then a member of the Chicago Bulls, said that he had been told by an NBA official that there were no qualified black referees because “they can’t control their tempers” and “they don’t know the rules as well as the white guys do.” Butler called these comments “disgusting” and said they made him “embarrassed to be part of this league.”

The NBA has acknowledged that it needs to do more to increase diversity among its officials. In 2018, the league announced a partnership with Referee Associates, a company that provides training and development programs for officials, with the goal of increasing racial and gender diversity among NBA referees. Only time will tell if this effort is successful.

The impact of the lack of black referees in the NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been facing criticism in recent years for the lack of diversity among its officials. As of 2019, only four of the league’s 58 referees are black. This statistic is even more striking when considering that 70% of NBA players are black. The lack of diversity among NBA referees has led to accusations of racial bias and a lack of understanding of the cultural nuances of the game.

In a sport like basketball, which is played predominantly by black athletes, it is important to have officials who understand the complexities of the game and the culture surrounding it. The dearth of black referees in the NBA is indicative of a larger problem within the sport: a lack of opportunities for black people to officiate at the highest levels.

While the NBA has taken steps to address this issue, more needs to be done to increase the number of black referees in the league. Until then, the league will continue to face criticism for its lack of diversity.