Longtime NBA veteran Richard Jefferson will go from complaining about the referees to making the calls himself, as he will suit up as a ref for the Knicks’ Summer League matchup against the Portland Trailblazers on Monday night.
“NBA Champion and 17-year NBA veteran Richard Jefferson will officiate the second quarter of tonight’s New York vs. Portland game after attending daily NBA Summer League Officiating Meetings in Las Vegas,” the NBA announced on Twitter.
Jefferson began his career with a seven-year stint as a member of the then-New Jersey Nets, and won an NBA title as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015–16 season.
He has spent the last several years as an analyst for various networks, and he highlighted the wealth of information he’s already gained while training to be a referee.
Why do this?
1. Tremendous amount of knowledge about our game that I’ve learned sitting in classes with the best refs in the world
2.I do this because not many people would dare put themselves in this position. The more info I have the more informed I am as a broadcaster 🫡— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) July 11, 2022
The Knicks Summer League team, with first- and second-year players like Quentin Grimes and Jean Montero, will take on the Trailblazers beginning at 8 p.m. on Monday night on ESPN.
