NBA Officials, Referees and Game Administration Rules

NBA games are administered by a team of officials responsible for enforcing basketball rules, maintaining the official score, controlling game timing and ensuring that play is conducted fairly.

The responsibilities of game officials are established under NBA Rule No. 2, which outlines the authority of referees, the procedures for resolving disagreements, the correction of officiating errors and the duties of official scorers and timers.

Modern NBA officiating involves more than the three referees working on the court. The Replay Center, courtside administrator and scorer's table personnel all play important roles in administering a professional basketball game.

Although technology has expanded the resources available to referees, officials remain responsible for making judgments during live play, enforcing penalties and maintaining the integrity of the contest.

An NBA game is officiated by three on-court officials:

• Crew Chief: The lead official responsible for overseeing the officiating crew and resolving certain disputes.
• Referee: An on-court official responsible for enforcing NBA rules and making calls during play.
• Umpire: The third on-court official, with responsibilities for enforcing rules and making judgments.

The officiating crew is supported by the NBA Replay Center, an official scorer, two trained timers and a courtside administrator.

One timer operates the game clock, while the other operates the shot clock.

The courtside administrator facilitates communication among the Replay Center, on-court officials, official scorer and other personnel at the scorer's table.

All game officials must be approved by the NBA League Office.

NBA Officiating Uniforms

NBA officials wear league-approved uniforms that distinguish them from players, coaches and other game personnel.

Officials must comply with NBA standards concerning uniforms, equipment and professional conduct.

1. Equipment Inspection

Before the game begins, officials must inspect and approve the playing equipment, including the court, baskets, basketballs, backboards, clocks and scorer's equipment.

Officials must ensure that the equipment is suitable for NBA competition and does not create an unnecessary safety hazard.

2. Player Jewelry

Officials may not permit players to participate while wearing jewelry.

This includes jewelry worn on the hands, arms, face, nose, ears, head or neck.

3. Protective Equipment

Officials must not allow players to use equipment that they believe presents a danger to other players.

Hard equipment such as casts, splints, guards and braces must be properly padded or covered and cannot have exposed sharp or cutting edges.

Face masks and eye or nose protectors must be approved by NBA Basketball Operations and must conform to the player's face without sharp or protruding edges.

4. Foreign Substances

The use of a foreign substance designed or intended to provide a competitive advantage is prohibited.

This includes substances applied during a game to a player's body, uniform, equipment or game equipment for the purpose of gaining an advantage.

5. Equipment Designed to Create an Advantage

Players may not use unnatural equipment intended to increase their height, reach or other competitive advantages.

All equipment must be appropriate for basketball.

6. Basketball Inspection

Officials must check the game basketballs to ensure that they are properly inflated.

The NBA's recommended basketball pressure is between 7.5 and 8.5 pounds per square inch.

7. Authority of the Crew Chief

The crew chief is the official in charge of the on-court officiating crew.

The crew chief has specific authority to resolve disagreements involving rule interpretations and certain scoring or timing decisions.

8. Replay Center Responsibilities

The Replay Center Official makes the final ruling on replay reviews except for designated categories, including flagrant fouls and altercations.

Replay review procedures are governed by NBA Rule No. 13 and the Coach's Challenge provisions in Rule No. 14.

9. Discussions With Coaches

If a coach wishes to discuss a rule or interpretation before the game or between periods, the officials must invite the opposing coach to participate.

The same procedure applies when officials initiate a discussion with either coach about a game situation.

10. Opening Jump Ball

The designated official tosses the basketball to begin the game.

The crew chief resolves certain disagreements involving whether a goal should count and matters disputed by scorers or timers.

11. Pregame Responsibilities

Officials must enter the court before the game clock reaches the 15-minute mark to observe warmups, report unusual situations and review scoring and timing procedures with scorer's table personnel.

The crew chief must review the Active List before the game begins.

12. Meeting With Team Captains

Officials must meet with the team captains before the start of the game.

This meeting helps establish communication between the officiating crew and the participating teams.

13. Reporting Unusual Incidents

Officials must report atypical or unusual incidents to the NBA Basketball and Referee Operations Departments.

Reportable incidents include flagrant fouls, punching fouls, fighting fouls and a team's failure to have eight players available to begin a game.

NBA officials have the authority to make decisions on matters that are not specifically covered by the written rules.

This authority, traditionally referred to as elastic power, allows officials to address unusual situations that cannot be resolved through a direct application of an existing regulation.

When officials exercise this authority, the NBA League Office must be informed as soon as possible.

Elastic power does not permit officials to disregard established rules. Instead, it provides a means of resolving situations for which the rulebook does not supply a specific procedure.

1. Disagreements Involving Rule Interpretations

The crew chief has the authority to question or set aside a rule interpretation made by another on-court official.

Officials may confer with one another to ensure that a decision is based on the most accurate available information.

2. Conflicting Out-of-Bounds Decisions

If two officials disagree about which team last touched the basketball before it went out of bounds, they must confer and attempt to reconstruct the play.

If they cannot resolve the disagreement, a jump ball is administered between the two players involved at the nearest circle.

If the players cannot be identified, the jump ball takes place at the center circle between any two eligible opponents.

Special replay procedures may apply during the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and the final two minutes of overtime.

3. Foul and Violation at the Same Time

If a foul and violation occur simultaneously, the foul takes precedence.

4. Double Fouls

When opposing players commit qualifying fouls at approximately the same time, the situation is administered under the NBA's double-foul rules.

See NBA Rule No. 12 for the applicable penalties and possession procedures.

5. Conflicting Block-Charge Decisions

If officials disagree about a block-charge play involving the restricted area or lower defensive box, they must confer and attempt to resolve the call.

If they cannot reach a resolution, the situation is treated as a double foul, subject to applicable replay exceptions.

1. Authority Inside and Outside the Court

Officials have the authority to rule on infractions occurring inside or outside the boundary lines.

This authority also applies during certain stoppages of play.

2. Calling Fouls and Violations

When a personal foul or violation occurs, an official blows a whistle to stop play.

The whistle signals the timer to stop the game clock.

For a personal foul, the official identifies the offending player, communicates the type of foul and indicates the appropriate free throws or throw-in location.

For a violation, the official communicates the nature of the violation and indicates which team receives possession.

3. Throw-In Decisions

When a team is awarded a throw-in, an official indicates the action that caused the basketball to become dead, the location of the throw-in and the team entitled to possession.

Exceptions apply following a successful field goal or free throw.

4. Inadvertent Whistles

An accidental whistle is treated as a suspension of play.

The basketball is administered according to the NBA's rules governing inadvertent whistles and interrupted possession.

5. Unusual Circumstances

An official may suspend play when an unusual circumstance requires the game to be stopped.

A. Free Throw Errors

Officials may correct certain errors when a rule is inadvertently set aside and the error affects free throw administration.

Examples include:

• A team failing to attempt a free throw that should have been awarded.
• A team attempting a free throw that should not have been awarded.
• The wrong player being permitted to attempt a free throw.
• A free throw being administered incorrectly when the basketball should remain dead afterward.

Officials must be notified of a possible error at the first dead ball.

Time Limits for Correcting Free Throw Errors

• First or third period: The error must be discovered and corrected before the next period begins.
• Second period: The error must be discovered and the scorer's table notified before officials leave the floor at halftime. Correction must occur before the third period begins.
• Fourth period or overtime: The error must be discovered and corrected before the period ends.

When corrected free throws are attempted, the basketball remains dead.

Play resumes under the conditions that would have applied if the error had not been discovered.

For certain errors discovered within a 24-second period, intervening play may be nullified and the game clock restored to the time of the error.

Important exceptions apply, including unsportsmanlike conduct, flagrant fouls and free throws that are administered without players occupying the lane.

B. Incorrect Jump Ball Positions

If players line up incorrectly for a jump ball, the officials may correct the mistake according to when it is discovered.

If more than 24 seconds have elapsed, teams generally continue playing toward their existing baskets for the applicable portion of the game.

If the error is discovered within 24 seconds, play may be nullified and restarted, subject to exceptions for unsportsmanlike conduct and flagrant fouls.

C. Incorrect Throw-In or Possession

If a period or throw-in begins with the wrong team receiving possession, or the teams facing the wrong direction, the error may be corrected if discovered within 24 seconds.

After more than 24 seconds have elapsed, the error generally cannot be corrected.

Exceptions preserve qualifying unsportsmanlike conduct, flagrant fouls and associated scoring.

D. Recordkeeping Errors

Errors involving the official score, personal fouls, team fouls or timeouts may be corrected before the end of the fourth period.

If the error occurs during overtime, it must be corrected before that overtime period ends.

1. Maintaining the Official Score

The official scorer records field goals, successful and unsuccessful free throws and the running score of the game.

The scorer also maintains the official record of personal fouls, technical fouls, team fouls and timeouts.

2. Player Foul Totals

The scorer must notify the officials immediately when a player is assessed a sixth personal foul.

The scorer also records when players are disqualified and maintains the information needed to administer the NBA's exceptional short-handed player rules.

3. Timeout Records

The official scorer maintains a record of charged timeouts and informs officials when a team reaches its final available timeout.

The scorer must also notify officials when a team is granted a timeout beyond the permitted number.

4. Player Lineups and Substitutions

The scorer records the names, uniform numbers and positions of starting players and substitutes who enter the game.

If a violation involving the Active List, substitutions or the number of players is discovered, the scorer must notify an official at the appropriate time.

5. Communication With Officials

The scorer uses the official timer's horn to communicate with the officiating crew when necessary.

When a player is disqualified or a penalty free throw is required, the timer sounds the horn so that officials can acknowledge the situation.

6. Signaling During Live Play

The scorer generally may not signal officials while the basketball is live, except when notification is necessary to correct an error.

If the horn sounds during live play, players should continue until an official stops the game.

7. Team Foul Display

The scorer records team fouls on the scoreboard up to five, indicating that the team has reached the penalty situation.

8. Opening Possession

The scorer records which team gains the first possession following the opening jump ball.

This information is important for determining possession procedures later in the game.

1. Pregame Timing Responsibilities

Timers must note when each half is scheduled to begin and notify the crew chief and both coaches five minutes before the half begins.

They must signal the scorers two minutes before the scheduled starting time.

Timers also maintain the official record of playing time and stoppages.

2. Backup Timing Equipment

The game-clock operator and shot-clock operator must have digital stopwatches available in case the official clocks malfunction.

These backup devices help maintain accurate timing if the scoreboard or clocks above the backboards fail.

3. Starting the Clock After a Jump Ball

At the start of the first period, overtime or another jump-ball situation, the game clock begins when the basketball is legally tapped by a jumper.

The shot clock begins when a player gains possession.

No time should be removed from the game clock or shot clock when a violation occurs before a legal touch.

4. Starting the Clock After a Throw-In

When play resumes with a throw-in, the game clock and shot clock begin when the basketball is legally touched by a player on the court, subject to the applicable shot-clock procedures.

5. Starting the Clock After a Missed Free Throw

Following an unsuccessful free throw that remains live, the game clock begins when the basketball is legally touched.

The shot clock begins when a player obtains possession.

6. Stopping the Game Clock

The game clock stops at the end of each period and when an official blows a whistle.

Timers must record only the actual playing time during:

• The final minute of the first period.
• The final minute of the second period.
• The final minute of the third period.
• The final two minutes of the fourth period.
• The final two minutes of each overtime period.

7. Charged Timeouts

When a timeout is granted, the timer begins the official timeout clock immediately after the official signals for the timeout.

Play does not resume until the applicable timeout period has expired.

8. End-of-Period Horn

The game clock and scoreboard operate together to sound a horn when playing time expires.

If the horn fails to sound or cannot be heard, the timer must use another means to notify the officials immediately.

9. Clock Showing Zero

During a dead-ball situation, a clock displaying 0.0 indicates that the period or game has ended, even if the horn has not sounded.

Replay procedures and other exceptions may apply.

The NBA Replay Center provides officials with video assistance in situations eligible for review under league rules.

Replay reviews can address certain scoring, timing, possession and foul-related situations.

The Replay Center Official makes final rulings on eligible reviews except for designated categories such as flagrant fouls and altercations.

The NBA also allows coaches to challenge specified on-court decisions under Rule No. 14.

Not every foul or judgment call can be reviewed. The NBA establishes specific eligibility requirements and procedures for replay and coach's challenges.

For the complete regulations, consult NBA Rule No. 13 and NBA Rule No. 14.

NBA officiating has changed considerably since the league's earliest seasons.

During the NBA's early decades, games were commonly officiated by two referees. As the pace of the game increased and offenses became more complex, the league experimented with expanded officiating crews.

The NBA adopted the three-official system on a permanent basis beginning with the 1988-89 season, giving referees additional coverage of the court and improving their ability to observe contact away from the basketball.

The introduction of instant replay added another dimension to officiating. Over time, the NBA expanded the situations in which video review could assist with scoring, timing and other game decisions.

The NBA Replay Center opened in Secaucus, New Jersey, for the 2014-15 season, centralizing video review support and allowing officials to consult dedicated replay personnel.

The league introduced the Coach's Challenge for the 2019-20 season, giving teams a formal mechanism to request review of certain calls.

Despite these technological changes, the fundamental responsibilities of NBA officials remain the same: enforce the rules, administer the game fairly and ensure that the official score and timing records are accurate.

How many referees work an NBA game?

Three on-court officials work a standard NBA game: the crew chief, referee and umpire.

Who is in charge of the officiating crew?

The crew chief is the lead on-court official and has specified authority to resolve disagreements involving rule interpretations.

What does the NBA Replay Center do?

The Replay Center provides video review support and makes final rulings on many eligible replay situations.

Can NBA referees change a call?

Yes. Officials may confer and correct certain decisions, subject to the applicable rules and replay restrictions.

Who keeps the official score?

The official scorer maintains the running score, player fouls, team fouls, timeouts and player participation records.

Who operates the NBA shot clock?

A trained shot-clock operator works alongside the official game-clock operator.

Can NBA referees correct a scoring error?

Yes. Rule No. 2 establishes procedures and deadlines for correcting qualifying recordkeeping and free throw errors.

Can referees stop a game for an unusual situation?

Yes. Officials may suspend play for unusual circumstances and have authority to resolve matters not specifically addressed by the rulebook.

NBA Official — Rule No. 2: Duties of the Officials

NBA Official — Rule No. 13: Instant Replay

NBA Official — Rule No. 14: Coach's Challenge

Complete NBA Official Rulebook

This page summarizes NBA officiating rules for historical and educational purposes. The official NBA rulebook governs all interpretations, exceptions and enforcement procedures.

NBA Rules and Regulations — Main NBA rules archive.

NBA Fouls and Penalties — Personal, technical and flagrant foul regulations.

NBA Free Throw Rules — Free throw procedures and violations.

NBA Shot Clock Rules — The 24-second shot clock and possession timing.

NBA Ball in Play Rules — Live-ball and dead-ball procedures.

NBA Players and Coaches Rules — Player eligibility, substitutions and coaching regulations.

NBA Violations and Penalties — Common violations and penalties.

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