Sports

Not-Yet NBA Refs Also Under Microscope During Summer League

Published

10 years ago

July 8, 2015

Officials Kevin Scott, from left, Andy O’Brien and Rusty Phillips look over a replay monitor during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game between the Orlando Magic Blue and the Memphis Grizzlies, Tuesday, July 7, 2015, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

KYLE HIGHTOWER, Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — With his slender build and 6-foot-5 frame, Nate Green blends in at a gym full of up-and-coming players looking to make their mark at Orlando’s NBA summer league.

But the people Green is trying to impress this week won’t be competing for the NBA Finals next season. They could, however, be the ones deciding if he gets to officiate it one day.

While each of the NBA’s three summer league stops in Orlando, Utah and Las Vegas are more focused on recent draft picks and other players scrabbling to make rosters, it is also become a proving ground for recently hired NBA referees and those auditioning for jobs.

As part its development program, the NBA uses refs like Green and others from the National Basketball Development League to serve as officials during summer league. Those that perform well go on to referee in the D-league and could eventually have a chance to be elevated to referee in either the WNBA or NBA.

The past 40 full-time officials that have been hired by the NBA since 2001 have come through the D-league training program. That list includes former player, turned referee Haywoode Workman — now a seven-year NBA veteran referee, and Lauren Holtcamp, who became just the league’s third woman to become a full-time ref this past season.

“When I came in, I came through the college ranks. Guys came to a camp, you tried out and they hired the ones they liked. Some of us made it and some of us didn’t,” said NBA director of officials Don Vaden. “It’s changed completely from what it was then.”

What was once just a handful of scouts searching out NBA refs is now a year-round operation that keeps tabs on about a 1,000 referees at all levels at any given time.

Once initially identified, potential NBA officials are cast into a three-tier system farm system: grassroots, mid-level and elite.

Each step along the way includes both on-court training, and off court character evaluation. Those that excel then have a chance be hired as full-time NBA slots. Those that don’t head back to minors.

For Green, 37, that journey began after he ended a nine-year professional playing career that saw stops overseas and briefly in the D-league. He was looking to get back into basketball, and had an opportunity through his brother-in-law to fill in as a ref at a men’s recreation league game.

“The light bulb kind of went off, I fell in love with it and thought ‘This is it.’ This is what’s gonna bring me back around basketball,” said Green, who is entering his first year with the D-league. “I guess with anything, you’re at the right place at the right time.”

Five-year NBA veteran referee Brent Barnaky spent 16 years in the college and D-league ranks before becoming a full-time official in 2010. The University of Central Florida and Nova Southeastern law school graduate said the NBA’s referee evaluation was intricate.

“It’s an intense process,” Barnaky said. “I joke with folks at home that the sheer number of hours I put into becoming an NBA referee far outweighs the amount of hours I spent studying for law school and the bar exam to become a lawyer.”

While Vaden said there’s no finite timeframe for how long a candidate must spend in the D-league before getting a shot to move up, what is clear is that it might be perfect time to enter the system.

With only so many positions to go around, league expansion used to be the thing that triggered hiring. Now necessity is starting to play a role with 20 of the NBA’s 63-man, full-time referee roster having now officiated for 20 or more years in the league.

Because the league is experimenting with new technology like headsets and other devices to aid officials, Vaden said younger officials have a comfort level that some of the older vets might not.

“There was a time when I can remember them giving our computers for the first time. We didn’t know how to open them, much less cut it on. So we’ve been from that generation to now with the iPhones and iPads and tablets and things — everybody knows how to use the technology,” he said.

That has also aided in those candidates evaluation process thanks to the availability of video.

“Now guys on any level can get video of his game. It’s online somewhere. Whereas when I came up and worked in the NBA, unless you got a VHS tape after the game, you didn’t get any recording of the game, Vaden said. “Now you get to see all your stuff and really micromanage what you’re doing as an individual, and others can see it, too.”

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower

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WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

3 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

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McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

William “Bill” Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, and died on July 31, 2022. He achieved fame as a U.S. professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.

Published

4 months ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

By Ken Epstein

West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.

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OPINION: Politics, Football and Identity in Trump’s America

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

Published

4 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Two Filipino American stories made headlines recently.

First, Nikko Remigio, the Filipino and African American kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, did not win Super Bowl LIX.

The other, Alameda’s Rob Bonta said no to running for governor. I don’t blame him. It’s not like a mass of people wanted him to run.

But I did.

Whenever there is a Filipino American in a place you don’t expect, I’m rooting for that person.

As California’s Attorney General, Bonta is probably the most active defender among Blue States pushing back against Trump’s Extreme-Right agenda.

I’d like to Bonta run for California’s top job, but he’s better off waiting in line. The Democrats need a spot for Kamala Harris, and Bonta not running obliges the hierarchy.

History can wait. Bonta’s just 52.

Harris has held off speculation of her next move, saying she just moved back to the state. But it seems governor is the path for her.

For now, Bonta needs to continue taking the fight to Trump in the courts.

Football and Identity Politics

My dad, whose birthday would have been Super Bowl weekend, came to the US in 1928 as a colonized Filipino, an “American National,” where he couldn’t be a citizen, vote, own property or even marry the person he wanted.

Not if they were White.

Still, he believed in America. He never gave up.

Sort of like Nikko Remigio.

My dad would have loved Nikko.

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

You want to get passionate about Eagles and Chiefs?

Let’s be passionate about our Founding Fathers, too.

Nikko didn’t change the game. He touched it three times and provided more yards than all of KC’s running backs.

That’s all I needed to see.

He’s our Filipino guy.

Detractors may call it “identity politics.”

People don’t seem to understand the fight for visibility. To be recognized. To be seen. It’s all wrapped up in the big idea of Civil Rights.

I was nowhere near as good as Nikko when I played. But when you are blessed to play football, you play your hardest.

For me, that was when I was 12 and 13 playing Pop Warner football in San Francisco. I was MVP for my team as a running back.

But I was ashamed of my dad. He wasn’t like the other dads. And I remember going to the team banquet to retrieve my trophy alone.

I didn’t realize it probably meant more to him than I thought.

I wish I had shared my MVP moment with him like Nikko shared his joy with his dad, Mark, born in Seattle to two Filipino immigrants, and his mom, whose mixture of Black and White made Nikko the picture of diversity.

Filipino American and Black and White at the Super Bowl.

But don’t forget, there is one game bigger.

The Super Bowl for Democracy. We’re battling for it every day Trump pushes a cockamamie idea that shakes the foundation of our Democracy.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. Watch his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does an Asian American Think?” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1 Or join him on http://www.patreon.com/emilamok