Richard Jefferson Messed Up His First Ever Call As A Ref

It’s not easy being an NBA referee and Richard Jefferson learned that the hard way on Monday night.

Jefferson, formerly a well-accomplished player in the league, was given the huge task of officiating a Summer League game on Monday.

It was Jefferson’s first time with the whistle in his mouth and he knew it was going to throw him a few challenges.

He was only set to officiate during the second quarter of the game and, right off the bat, things got hairy.

.@Rjeff24 changed his first-ever call as an NBA official 😅 pic.twitter.com/F9ffWzUs79

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 12, 2022

Jefferson made a call at the baseline of the court and was met with instant pushback from the New York Knicks bench.

After conferring briefly with the other refs, Jefferson changed his call.

It was a little hectic, a little intense, and surely filled with some anxiety for Jefferson.

It just goes to show how difficult that job really is.

The Toughest Job In The NBA

Being a referee is one of the hardest, most thankless, and most important jobs in the league.

No matter what you do or how well you do it, you are going to receive hate from the fans when you’re a ref.

But it’s a job that is absolutely mandatory because the games can’t go on without a team of refs.

Jefferson got to see all of that first hand on Monday night.

He has only known the game as a player, which is hard enough as it is.

Now he has a newfound respect for those running the game.

He will certainly think twice before he questions a referee’s call in the future.

He will most definitely stick to sitting on the sidelines and commenting on the game.