For years, Richard Jefferson was known as a terrific basketball player who performed on teams such as the New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers, where he won a championship in 2016.
Today, he’s better known as an NBA analyst and can be found on the sidelines giving his opinion and expertise about the game he loves so much.
But he was wearing a radically different hat on Monday night.
"This is fun. I can see why it's addicting." 😁
Richard Jefferson being mic'd up for his NBA officiating debut was a treat
(via @ESPN)pic.twitter.com/nkNhEvdycW
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) July 12, 2022
Jefferson was one of the referees for Monday’s Summer League game between the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers.
It’s not an easy job but Jefferson had spent the last few days training and learning the ins and outs of the position.
He was ready to go and actually seemed to be having fun officiating the game.
Jefferson Making Calls
Jefferson got prepared for Monday night by participating in practice sessions and meetings.
This got him all primed and ready to watch the game closely, monitor each player, and quickly make any necessary call.
There was a bit of irony with Jefferson officiating a Knicks game: he had a bit of history with that team when he played in the NBA, especially when he played for their rivals, the then-New Jersey Nets.
As for the young players on the court, they really enjoyed seeing Jefferson suit up and blow the whistle.
But they didn’t get to see him do it for long: Jefferson was a ref for only the second quarter of the game.
Following that, he went back to the announcer’s table so he could talk about his experience and all that he learned.
He had fun but don’t expect to see him do it again any time soon.
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