How much do NBA referees make?

While their role in an NBA game is of extreme importance, referees make much less than the players.

The salary range is between $250,000 and $500,000 and is based on years of experience.

Starting NBA refs, often referred to as "rookies," typically earn a salary on the lower end, while seasoned refs take home a salary on the higher end, according to Dunkest.

This salary is broken down into $3,000-$6,100 per game during the regular season.

Who are the NBA referees?

The 2023-24 NBA officiating staff is made up of 74 referees.

Those referees include:

No. 3 Nick Buchert
No. 4 Sean Wright
No. 7 Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling
No. 8 Marc Davis
No. 9 Natalie Sago
No. 10 John Goble
No. 11 Derrick Collins
No. 12 CJ Washington
No. 13 Ashley Moyer-Gleich
No. 14 Ed Malloy
No. 15 Zach Zarba
No. 16 David Guthrie
No. 17 Jonathan Sterling
No. 18 Matt Boland
No. 19 James Capers
No. 20 Jenna Schroeder
No. 21 Dedric Taylor
No. 22 JB DeRosa
No. 23 Tre Maddox
No. 24 Kevin Scott
No. 25 Tony Brothers
No. 26 Pat Fraher
No. 27 Mitchell Ervin
No. 28 Mousa Dagher
No. 29 Mark Lindsay
No. 30 John Butler
No. 31 Scott Wall
No. 32 Marat Kohut
No. 33 Sean Corbin
No. 34 Kevin Cutler
No. 35 Jason Goldenberg
No. 36 Brent Barnaky
No. 37 Eric Dalen
No. 38 Michael Smith
No. 39 Tyler Ford
No. 40 Leon Wood
No. 41 Nate Green
No. 43 Matt Myers
No. 44 Brett Nansel
No. 45 Brian Forte
No. 46 Ben Taylor
No. 47 Bennie Adams
No. 48 Scott Foster
No. 49 Tom Washington
No. 50 Gediminas Petraitis
No. 51 Aaron Smith
No. 52 Scott Twardoski
No. 53 Matt Kallio
No. 54 Ray Acosta
No. 55 Bill Kennedy
No. 56 John Conley
No. 58 Josh Tiven
No. 60 James Williams
No. 61 Courtney Kirkland
No. 63 Derek Richardson
No. 64 Justin Van Duyne
No. 67 Brandon Adair
No. 68 Jacyn Goble
No. 70 Phenizee Ransom
No. 71 Rodney Mott
No. 72 J.T. Orr
No 74. Curtis Blair
No. 77 Karl Lane
No. 78 Evan Scott
No. 81 Simone Jelks
No. 82 Suyash Mehta
No. 83 Andy Nagy
No. 85 Robert Hussey
No. 86 Brandon Schwab
No. 87 Danielle Scott
No. 89 Dannica Mosher
No. 91 Che Flores
No. 96 Intae Hwang
No. 98 Sha'Rae Mitchell

The 2023-24 officiating staff also has eight non-staff officials, including:

No. 76 Clare Aubry
No. 80 Biniam Maru
No. 90 Pat O'Connell
No. 92 Brent Haskill
No. 93 Jenna Reneau
No. 94 J.D. Ralls
No. 95 Tyler Ricks
No. 97 Tyler Mirkovich

Who are the most famous NBA referees?

Some of the most famous NBA referees include:

James Capers

James Capers has spent more than 25 seasons officiating in the NBA.

During that time, he has worked over 1,500 regular season games.

Additionally, Capers, who served on the National Basketball Referees Association Executive Board and helped negotiate collective bargaining agreements with the NBA, has worked 178 playoff games, which includes 14 NBA Finals games, according to his NBRA biography.

Dunkest reports that James Capers was the highest-paid NBA referee in 2023, earning an estimated $550,000.

The 2023-24 season will be his 28th.

Sean Corbin

Sean Corbin has been an NBA referee for more than 25 seasons.

During that time, he has worked over 1,400 regular-season games.

Additionally, Corbin, a former Coppin State University player, has worked 90 playoff games and he also refereed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, according to his NBRA biography.

The 2023-24 season will be Corbin's 26th.

Tony Brothers

Tony Brothers has been officiating in the NBA for almost 30 seasons.

During that time, he has worked more than 1,600 regular-season games.

How much do NBA referees make?