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NBPA ANNOUNCES FINDINGS FROM 2025-26 REFEREE PLAYER SURVEY
NBPA ANNOUNCES FINDINGS FROM 2025-26 REFEREE PLAYER SURVEY
NEW YORK, May 13, 2026 — The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) today announced the findings of its annual Referee Player Survey. The results, which were delivered to the NBA league office in March 2026, served as the official player recommendations for referee assignments for the 2026 NBA Playoffs and should be a guide for the 2026 NBA Finals' selections.
The survey data and feedback taken from 411 players across all 30 teams shows that players have a distinct preference for referees who offer a combination of call accuracy, experience, and a balanced temperament. Player feedback also showed that consistency and communication played a key role in rapport building and favorability among players.
Based on a 1–5 rating scale, officials have been grouped into three tiers: Tier 1 (Elite & Top Performers), Tier 2 (Solid Performers), and Tier 3 (Needs Improvement). The NBPA recommends that only Tier 1 or Tier 2 referees be assigned to playoff games, with Tier 1 officials exclusively handling the NBA Finals. By putting the highest-ranked referees on the floor, the league can make sure the spotlight stays on the players and the competition instead of officiating or tense interactions with referees.
Tier | Referees |
Tier 1: Elite & Top Performers | Ray Acosta, Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Tony Brothers, Nick Buchert, John Butler, James Capers, Kevin Cutler, Eric Dalen, Marc Davis, JB DeRosa, Mitchell Ervin, Jacyn Goble, Nate Green, Bill Kennedy, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Ed Malloy, Phenizee Ransom, Dedric Taylor, Josh Tiven, James Williams, Sean Wright, Zach Zarba |
Tier 2: Solid Performers | Brandon Adair, Derrick Collins, Sean Corbin, Mousa Dagher, Brian Forte, Scott Foster, Pat Fraher, Jason Goldenberg, David Guthrie, Matt Kallio, Marat Kogut, Sha'Rae Mitchell, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Matt Myers, Andy Nagy, Brett Nansel, JT Orr, Gediminas Petraitis, JD Ralls, Kevin Scott, Aaron Smith, Jonathan Sterling, Ben Taylor, Scott Twardoski, Justin Van Duyne, CJ Washington, Leon Wood |
Tier 3: Needs Improvement | Dannica Baroody, John Conley, Che Flores, Tyler Ford, John Goble, Robert Hussey, Intae Hwang, Simone Jelks, Biniam Maru, Suyash Mehta, Rodney Mott, Pat O'Connell, Jenna Reneau, Tyler Ricks, Natalie Sago, Jenna Schroeder, Brandon Schwab, Danielle Scott, Evan Scott, Michael Smith |
The 2025-26 NBPA Referee Player Survey collected data from all 30 NBA teams, rating the overall performance of all 73 referees on a scale of 1-5. Names listed in alphabetical order.
“I think officiating comes down to the person. I don’t think you can reform the calls themselves—people are human and they’re going to make mistakes,” said NBPA First Vice President Grant Williams at the State of the Game roundtable. “But the best officials in the league, according to the players, are the great communicators; the ones who understand when they’ve made a mistake. As long as you’re calling a game consistently, guys are willing to adapt. It’s about having control of the game while also respecting the players and their different personalities.”
You can watch NBPA Vice President Jaylen Brown and NBPA First Vice President Grant Williams, alongside NBPA Executive Director Andre Iguodala and incoming Executive Director David Kelly, discussing officiating and other key basketball topics in episode two of "State of the Game" with Kenny Beecham and Enjoy Basketball. Click here for episode one featuring NBPA President Fred VanVleet, Head of Elite Youth & Basketball Activation Shaun Livingston, Iguodala, and Kelly.
Additional survey highlights include:
Individual Spotlights: Zach Zarba was ranked as the No. 1 referee in the NBA. Zarba is the only official ranked by players in the Top 12 by every single team in the league. Joining him in the "Elite" category is Kevin Cutler, who was ranked No.1 by six different teams.
Behind the Numbers: Scott Foster is one of the league’s most polarizing officials with the highest standard deviation in the dataset. Although ranked as the top official by one team, combined feedback from all 30 teams placed him in the second tier. Ashley Moyer-Gleich and Sha’Rae Mitchell both received positive feedback from the players regarding improvement in their overall performance, which landed them in the second tier.
For the full rankings from the 2025-26 Referee Player Survey, click here.