Former NBA Referee Shares What It’s Like To Miss A Call

Fans of the Boston Celtics are far from alone in getting irked by a referee seeming to make the game about themselves, their feelings, and their authority to the point where it feels like it shifts the outcome of the game.

But as hard as it might be for some fans to believe, officials actually do work hard to get calls right for the most part and feel bad about when they miss an important call that changes the tenor of the game. In an interview with The Athletic’s senior writer David Aldridge, former NBA referee Bob Delaney got into what getting a call wrong is like for an official.

The duo also discusses how refs see players and how they react to the constant player gesticulation, complaints, and abuse.