Have you ever wondered how much NBA referees make? What about their salary structure? The National Basketball Association (NBA) is arguably one of the most popular sports in America. From having fans all over the world to playing sold-out games, there are a lot of aspects of this multi-billion dollar industry to take in, including the wages and salaries that the officials receive.
How Much Do NBA Referees Make in 2022?
The average NBA referee makes $150,000 a year. That’s $12,500 per game. The top referees make as much as $300,000 per year.
Here’s how it breaks down:
The average NBA referee makes about $150,000 a year. This includes all games played during the regular season and playoffs and any preseason games or international games during the summer.
The top referees make as much as $300,000 a year. In addition to their salaries, they earn bonuses based on their performance throughout the season. They also get paid more if they officiate playoff games or other high-profile contests like All-Star games or international games involving U.S. teams (for example, when the Knicks played in London this season).
Who is the Highest Paid NBA Ref?
Below is a list of the top five highest-paid NBA refs:
5. Scott Forster
Scott Forster is the highest-paid referee in the NBA in 2022. He has been on the job since 2006, and he has a salary of $2.7 million. Forster was born on November 20th, 1991.
Forster has refereed games in all four major sports leagues: NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL. He also officiates NCAA Division I basketball games at Northwestern University and DePaul University.
4. Rodney Mott
Rodney Mott is the highest-paid referee in the NBA in 2022. He has been officiating games since 2002 and was promoted to a full-time referee in 2007.
Mott’s yearly salary is $330,000, and he made $105,000 per game in 2020. He had worked as a referee for many years and had built up quite a resume before being promoted to lead official in 2010.
3. Tony Brothers
Tony Brothers is a veteran referee in the NBA, having officiated over 1,000 games. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Syracuse University, where he played basketball. After graduating from Syracuse, he went on to become an NBA official.
In 2001, Tony Brothers became the first African American referee to work an NBA Finals game. As an NBA official, he has worked three NBA Finals series and numerous playoff games.
2. Sean Corbin
Sean Corbin is an NBA referee and a former player. He is one of the highest-paid referees in the NBA in 2022, earning $3 million per year.
Corbin is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and played for DePaul University before joining their coaching staff as an assistant. He served as head coach at DePaul from 2000 to 2002 before joining the NBA front office as an assistant trainer.
1. James Capers
James Capers is the highest-paid referee in the NBA in 2022. Capers was born in 1970 and graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in physical education. He played basketball for Kentucky under coach Rick Pitino from 1988 to 1992.
Capers began his officiating career in 1993, and he has worked his way up to the top of the profession. He was promoted to referee in 1998, and he has been working for the NBA since 2000. In 2019, he became the first African American referee to officiate a playoff game. He has even refereed games internationally as well as domestically.
Capers made $250,000 per year as an NBA referee in the 2020-2021 season.
