Alright basketball fans, the NBA Finals are almost upon us! The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers are set to battle it out for the Larry O’Brien trophy, with Game 1 tipping off on Thursday, June 5th, in OKC. We’ve talked about the star players, the coaches, the X’s and O’s. But there’s another crucial group on the floor for every single high-stakes moment, a group whose decisions can swing games and sometimes, unfortunately, become the main topic of conversation: the referees. And now, the NBA has officially announced the crew of 12 officials who have earned the honor – and the immense pressure – of working the 2025 NBA Finals.
Who are the officials for the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the OKC Thunder?
So, who are the men in stripes (or, well, their official NBA referee attire) that we’ll be seeing out there? The league has selected a dozen of its top officials, all of whom have proven themselves throughout the intense pressure of this year’s playoffs. The individual game assignments for the three-person crews won’t be revealed until the morning of each Finals game, a standard NBA practice. But we do know the pool of 12 they’ll be choosing from.
Here’s the lineup:
Tony Brothers (This will be his 14th Finals appearance)
James Capers (His 13th Finals)
Marc Davis (His 14th Finals)
Tyler Ford (A first-timer!)
Scott Foster (The veteran of the group, his 18th Finals)
John Goble (His 9th Finals)
David Guthrie (His 8th Finals)
Ben Taylor (Another first-timer!)
Josh Tiven (His 6th Finals)
James Williams (His 5th Finals)
Sean Wright (His 2nd Finals)
Zach Zarba (His 12th Finals)
Byron Spruell, the NBA President for League Operations, had high praise for the selected group, stating, “We are grateful for these 12 individuals and their dedication to serving the game at the highest levels throughout the season. Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the top honor as an NBA official, and I congratulate this exceptional group on a worthy achievement.”
The league emphasized that these officials were chosen based on their overall performance throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs, with evaluations happening after each round. And just in case, Courtney Kirkland and Kevin Scott have been picked as alternates.
Who are the officials that are making their debut in the NBA Finals?
This year, two officials are getting their first taste of the NBA Finals pressure cooker: Tyler Ford and Ben Taylor. And for NBA referees, getting this assignment, that call from the league office, is a massive deal, the culmination of years, often decades, of hard work, dedication, and consistently high-level performances. As Ford himself put it, while players chase the gold Larry O’Brien trophy, for refs, the prize is the iconic “white jacket.” He said, “That jacket’s really sweet and it’s sort of our trophy… There’s a special significance to the white jacket.” It’s a symbol of reaching the absolute pinnacle of their profession.
Both Ford and Taylor have been right on the cusp, serving as alternates for the Finals in the last two years. So, they’ve been there, they’ve felt the energy, they’ve been in the pre-game meetings, ready to step up if needed. That’s invaluable experience. But actually being one of the 12 who gets to work the floor? That’s a whole other stratosphere of accomplishment and responsibility.
Taylor even mentioned he wrote “ALT” on the tags of the white jackets he received as an alternate, just so he’d know the difference when he finally got the real one. He called this selection “the culmination of life’s work,” saying, “It’s all I’ve ever known and it’s all I’ve ever done. It’s the pinnacle.” You can just feel the pride and dedication in those words. It’s a huge moment for both of them, and you know they’ll be bringing their absolute best to these games. And for Ford, there’s even a sweet bit of personal timing: Game 2 of the Finals falls on his 40th birthday, and he actually worked the G League Finals the year he turned 30! Talk about things coming full circle.
Who is the most experienced official out of the 12 member roster?
When you talk about Finals experience, one name on this list just towers above the rest, like a seven-footer in a room full of point guards: Scott Foster. This will be his mind-blowing 18th NBA Finals series. Just let that number sink in for a second – 18 times being handpicked and trusted to officiate at the absolute highest, most scrutinized level of the sport.
But he’s not the only seasoned vet in this crew, which is great for the overall quality of officiating fans should expect. Tony Brothers and Marc Davis are both making their 14th Finals appearance. Having that kind of veteran presence alongside the first-timers like Ford and Taylor creates a really interesting.
As both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers chase their first NBA championship in a long time (OKC’s first since moving from Seattle, and Indy’s first ever in the NBA after their ABA titles), a lot will be riding on every single call these 12 officials make. It’s an incredibly tough job, no doubt, and every small decision will get scrutinized in slow-motion from a gazillion different angles. But these are the refs the league believes are the best of the best, ready for the brightest lights and the biggest moments. Let’s look forward to some great, consistently well-officiated basketball!
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