Curtis Blair Is Only First-Time Referee Named to 2026 NBA Finals Crew Dominated by Veterans
The NBA named 12 officials for the 2026 Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. Curtis Blair is the only first-time selection on the list.
winnipegfreepress.comCurtis Blair will officiate an NBA Finals game for the first time when the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks open their series on Wednesday. The league released the full list of 12 referees on Tuesday. Blair is the only first-time selection among the group.
Scott Foster received his 19th Finals assignment, the most of any current referee. Tony Brothers and Marc Davis each received their 15th Finals assignments. James Capers was selected for his 14th, Zach Zarba for his 13th, John Goble for his 10th, Josh Tiven for his seventh, James Williams for his sixth, Courtney Kirkland for his fifth, Sean Wright for his third, and Tyler Ford for his second.
Blair spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday checking his email for the announcement. , the NBA's executive vice president and head of referee operations. Blair returned the call and learned he had been chosen.
"Very emotional moment, very emotional moment for me, because I've been right there on the doorstep for so many years," Blair said. "This is my 18th year and one thing I had to realize going through this journey is that everybody has their own journey. Everybody has their own timetable.
You become a referee, become an umpire, you get to the first round, the second round, third round. " Blair was a second-round draft pick by the Houston Rockets in 1992 but never appeared in a regular-season NBA game. He played professionally overseas before becoming a referee and has worked more than 1,000 regular-season and playoff games since 2008.
He previously received white warmup jackets as an alternate for the 2021 and 2022 Finals. Byron Spruell, the NBA's president for league operations, said, "Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the highest honor for an NBA official, and I congratulate them on an outstanding and well-earned achievement.
" ESPN reported that Finals referees receive special white warmup jackets given only to officials selected for the series.
Blair said the jacket he receives this year will carry different meaning than the two he already owns.
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