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What Is the NBA referee salary? Exact Figures and Interesting Facts

Author: Ivanna Shostak
11 January 2020, 10:09
Votes: 7

The NBA is the men's professional basketball league of North America, including such states as Canada and the US. It is included in the list of top four professional leagues (along with the NFL, the NHL and the GBL). The following article from the Login Casino team will focus on an integral aspect of NBA – officials’ work (more frequently, they are called referees), their duties and how much do NBA refs get paid.

What Is the NBA referee salary? Exact Figures and Interesting Facts

A brief overview of NBA referees’ work

In basketball, a referee ensures compliance with the rules and keeps order in the game. In general terms, basketball is thought to be one of the most difficult sports activities to referee due to a number of factors: the game speed, the complexity of the rules, their interpretation depending on the case, as well as the necessity to make important decisions very quickly.

In the NBA, there is one chief official, who is called the crew chief, and other officials (referees). It should be noted that all the officials are equally entitled to oversee almost all aspects of the matches.

What are NBA referees’ duties?

Before we provide information on how much money do NBA referees make, it is necessary to indicate their main duties. The officials need to make sure that the match goes smoothly, and this includes a number of different responsibilities, from stopping the match to spectators and players management. Besides, they are required to ensure that all the equipment, which players utilize, as well as the court, are safe and in usable conditions. For instance, if a problem arises that impedes the safe conduct of the game, officials must solve this issue. Overall, they often have to overcome contingencies that might or might not affect the game. Here you can read about the most popular world sports.

What is the average NBA referee salary?

What is the average NBA referee salary?

The average NBA official’s salary goes from one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to five hundred and fifty thousand dollars, depending on their work experience. The first figure regards those who only begin their career in this field while chief ones make much more money. In most cases, referees begin to officiate high school and college games and go to the NBA. Of course, it is clear that even those who just begin their careers in this field have a much higher salary than members of other typical professions.

However, it is not only a high salary that attracts those who want to become NBA officials – this job provides a number of other exciting benefits too. The NBA officials are constantly seen on TV, they often meet well-known basketball players. In addition, they have three or four months break in order to have a rest.

How much do NBA refs make per game?

Work experience and type of league

Earnings per one game

Professional-level NBA official with a lot of experience

Three thousand and five hundred dollars

Entry-level NBA referee

Six hundred dollars

WNBA referee

Four hundred and twenty-five dollars

As it is possible to see, WNBA referees have considerably lower salaries than other categories. This is due to the fact the men's NBA league is much more popular and profitable than women's league.

How much do NBA refs make in the finals? A lot of basketball fans want to know the answer to this question. It should be noted that in playoffs, the level of NBA refs’ earnings increases significantly. For instance, senior officials can receive up to twenty-nine thousand dollars per the final game. If you want to keep abreast of the most important events, follow our popular sports news.

How much do NBA refs make a year?

Work experience and type of league

Earnings per year

Professional-level NBA official with a lot of experience

Three hundred thousand dollars

Entry-level NBA referee

Ninety thousand dollars

WNBA referee

Eighty thousand dollars

Comparing NBA refs’ salaries to other popular leagues. 

Certainly, in other sports, the role of a referee is also incredibly important since this is a person who holds the responsibility for the sports event.

In general terms, the NBA ref salary is more than that of other well-known sports leagues’ referees like MLB umpires, NFL referees and NHL officials but it is lower if we compare to FIFA referees’ salaries. In the following chart, you will find detailed figures:



FIFA referee

Undoubtedly, their life is never easy. Their actions and decisions are often subjected to obscene gestures from spectators, verbal attacks by players, and critical analysis by well-known experts who can easily list all Messi vs Ronaldo trophies. Taking into account how popular soccer is, they are often the main focus of the whole world – this profession seems to be extremely tough. However, there are enough people willing to be a FIFA referee. One of the reasons is definitely a high salary.

Six hundred and fifty thousand dollars

NHL official

Hockey is popular in such countries as Canada, Russia, the USA, Germany and so on. It is clear that the governing bodies in this sport understand that in order to maintain a successful sport, it is necessary to keep the officials satisfied. 360 000 dollars seems to be a lot but it is less than NBA referees get.

Three hundred and sixty thousand dollars

MLB umpire

It might seem like easy money but do not forget the MLB umpires have to deal with extreme stress levels. During the well-known World Series, a large number of fans follow closely all the MLB umpires’ actions. It also should be noted that baseball features one of the smallest gaps in payments between its officials and players (on average, players earn 4 400 000 dollars).

Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars

NFL referee

You might be surprised but NFL referees make the least money in comparison with their colleagues in other sports. Moreover, American football features one of the biggest gaps in payments between its referees and sportsmen (highest paid players in football earn more than 20 000 000 dollars).

Two hundred thousand dollars

FAQ: the most important things about NBA referee career to be aware of

How to become an NBA referee and get a good salary?

If you are a person who enjoys basketball and wishes to be active and stay involved in the game – then there is obviously a way to achieve this goal by becoming a referee. First of all, you need to learn all the most important rules. In order to become a professional referee, you need to develop a habit of making the right calls quickly without any hesitation. The better you understand the regulations and rules of the NBA, the easier it will be to become successful in this field.

Afterwards, it will be necessary for you to attend classes. Diverse basketball organizations, schools and colleges have already introduced special NBA referee training programmes. Thanks to them, you will learn to clarify the rules, deal with players and coaches, as well as maintain excellence. The next stage is to apply for necessary certification to a local officiating authority. Having become a certified referee, you should fill application forms for a job and look for an interesting offer. And, of course, do not forget that if you want to earn a lot of money, it is vital to gather experience and never stop learning.

What is the average salary for NBA referees?

average salary for NBA referees

As stated above, the NBA referee’s salary depends on the person’s experience. Novices in this field make on average 150 000 dollars, while those who are already experienced referees earn approximately 550 000 hundred dollars.


Having found out how much do NBA refs make, we may conclude that the NBA referee is a profitable and interesting job position with a number of benefits. In order to receive high salaries, members of this profession have to be in good shape all the time, remain attentive throughout the whole match and be psychologically stable. No one will argue that it is quite a stressful job since all NBA referees’ actions are followed by a high number of basketball fans, who are often not able to handle their emotions.

Read more: All you need to know about sporting betting

Read more: Euro match fixing in all years

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