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NBA referees have one of the toughest jobs around. They need to watch 10 world-class athletes at the same time and make sure to make correct calls throughout the 48 minutes of every single game.
Several referees have gotten into legal trouble for fixing games. While this has ruined the league's reputation, it's mostly a thing of the past. However, many basketball fans believe that there are still many corrupt NBA referees.
These allegations are serious, but considering that the league has recently partnered with several betting companies, they'll likely be more frequent.
Here are ten referees that have either been involved in a scandal or accused by fanbases:
#1 - Tim Donaghy
While NBA fans blame many referees for fixing games, it was proven that Tim Donaghy did this. The referee was caught in 2007 in the biggest officiating scandal the league has ever had.
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The disgraced referee was sentenced to 15 months in prison and the incident had a negative impact on the league's integrity. Later on, Donaghy revealed a few more officiating incidents that happened in the NBA.
#2 - Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney and Ted Bernhardt
Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the LA Lakers and Sacramento Kings was very controversial. The Kings entered the game with a 3-2 series lead, but ended up losing it 106-102.
The Lakers ended up shooting 40 free throws in the game, 15 free throws more than the Kings. Vlade Divac and Scott Pollard were fouled out, while Chris Webber also dealt with a foul trouble.
The Kings lost Game 6 and lost the series. The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals where they swept the New Jersey Nets.
#3 - Sol Levy
Sol Levy was accused of fixing NBA games in 1951. The league was very young at the time and this officiating scandal could have completely destroyed it. The scandal also included several NCAA players and teams.
The disagraced referee took a total of $3,000 in bribes to fix six matches. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but he reportedly did not uphold his side of the deal in three games. Levy eventually died of gunshot wounds.
#4 - Ed Rush, Hugh Evans
Another Game 6 for the LA Lakers and another officiating scandal. Once again, the Lakers entered Game 6 by being down 3-2. However, they ended up winning the series and winning the title.
With 14 seconds left in the game, the Lakers were down 102-101. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar received the ball and tried to hit his patented skyhook over Bill Laimbeer. He missed, but the Detroit Pistons center was called for a foul, leading to two free throws by Kareem.
Abdul-Jabbar, who was only 3-for-14 in the game, converted both free throws and won the game for the Lakers. Ed Rush and Hugh Evans, the NBA referees for this game, were accused of calling a phantom foul at the end of the game. Pat Riley, who coached the Lakers at the time, later on admitted that there was no foul.
#5 - Scott Foster
Scott Foster's questionable calls and games have earned him the nickname "The Extender." Basketball fans believe that the league gives Foster playoff games they want to extend to six or seven games.
The controversial official is not a big fan of Chris Paul, which is why the Phoenix Suns point guard usually loses games officiated by Foster. While "The Extender" is one of the most controversial NBA referees, the league hasn't found anything strange regarding his calls.
#6 - Tony Brothers
Tony Brothers has been a referee for almost three decades. Since he's one of the most-tenured NBA referees, Brothers has had a chance to officiate games featuring many legends, from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant.
The 58-year-old official is either corrupt or very incompetent. He has made so many awful calls in the games he's officiated that he's become a synonym for a bad referee. Due to this, many fans have asked for the league to suspend or terminate his contract.
#7 - Joey Crawford
During his officiating career from 1977 to 2016, Joey Crawford was regarded as one of the most controversial NBA referees. He officiated more than 2,000 games and made many questionable calls.
Crawford was very vindictive and was known for calling technical fouls against both players and coaches. Back in 2007, the referee ejected Tim Duncan for laughing on the bench, that's how bad he was.
#8 - Ken Mauer
Ken Mauer is another retired NBA referee. His officiating career ended once he refused to take the Covid vaccine, which was a requirement at the time. Due to this, he sued the professional basketball league.
When the 68-year-old referee retired, most NBA fans were fine with it. He wasn't exactly the best referee as a lot of fans accused him of fixing games for certain teams. Mauer was also convicted on felony, tax evasion and obstruction of justice charges in the 1994 travel expense scandal.
#9 - Lauren Holtkamp
Lauren Holtkamp is one of the youngest NBA referees. She's only 42 and has been a full-time coach since the 2014-15 season. However, she's made a lot of questionable calls and several teams have complained about her.
Chris Paul is not a big fan of Holtkamp, while Gregg Popovich has also complained about her. Some of the calls she's made have made basketball fans think that she's fixing games. However, nothing has been proven yet.
#10 - Ed Malloy
According to RefRating, Ed Malloy is at the top of the list for most missed calls in the final two minutes. This information comes from the NBA's Last Two-Minute report from close games.
While Malloy usually makes correct calls in the first 46 minutes of the game, he's quite bad in the clutch. Due to this, many basketball fans believe that the 52-year-old official is up to no good.
