There are 13 people chasing NBA dreams on each court during summer league at UNLV; ten players, and three officials.
No one knows much about a referee’s life, though. There is a perception that they simply travel from city to city, show up at an arena, call a game, and go off to their next assignment.
In reality, the career of an official closely mimics the path most players take to the NBA. There’s scouting, recruiting, training, long days of preparation, and film study after games to identify mistakes and get better.
“Our day starts from the minute we wake up, pretty much,” says Jacyn Goble, a two-year NBA official working summer league.