The 2024-25 NBA season is approaching, and we are looking at salaries for the season. We covered the average annual salary of the NBA and the annual salary of G League players. Now turn your attention to the others on the floor.
Referees play an important role in every NBA game. They are paid pretty well for their work. Next, we’ll look at their salaries and how their structure works.
Unlike players in the league, NBA referees’ salaries are generally not made public. The NBA and NBA Referees Association have agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement in 2022 that will extend through the 2028-29 season. Per league policy, terms of the deal were not made public.
The way officials make money is quite complicated. Their base salary is determined by seniority. Its scale has been increasing year by year, reaching its peak in 2030. His base salary will increase each season until he reaches 30 years in the league. Umpires are also consistently evaluated on their performance and can earn promotions and pay increases by performing at a high level.
The highest reported base salary for senior officials was $550,000. It’s about 7000 yen per game. The minimum compensation is reportedly around $150,000. You can add two to this in two ways: by working beyond your regular game assignments and by officiating playoff games.
Although numbers have not been made public, it can be assumed that the NBA’s highest-ranking referees are the highest-paid in the league. That group includes James Capers, Sean Corbijn, the Tony Brothers and Scott Foster.
Some may quibble that some of these players have become the highest-paid officials because of questionable, high-profile performances in the past, but the league clearly doesn’t want them at that level. I am evaluating it.
