The 10 Worst Referee Calls in NBA History

Everyone has the occasional bad day at the office, and NBA referees are no exception. In an age of instant replay, coach’s challenges, and the Last 2 Minute report, officials’ mistakes are amplified now more than ever — but they’re hardly new to the Association.

Some calls are just plain tough to make. The most eagle-eyed observer can still mistake a block for a charge, or vice versa, in real time. A referee could also be forgiven for missing a foul or thinking they saw contact on a play where none occurred.

That’s not why we’re here. Missed calls happen, but some are so egregious — so obvious, even to us at home — that they live in infamy. Even worse, a bunch have happened in the biggest moments, from crunch time to the NBA Finals.

Here are the 10 worst referee calls in NBA history — so far:

10. Dirk Nowitzki Gets Elbowed, Commits Foul

2006 NBA Finals: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade elbows Dirk Nowitzki and Nowitzki is called for committing the foul.

In the time before coach’s challenges, all Avery Johnson could do was stand by and watch. All Dirk Nowitzki could do was take an elbow and then throw his hands up in disgust. Even worse, it happened with Nowitzki’s Mavericks down a point in the waning seconds of the deciding game of the Finals.

Watching the play unfold, it’s clear. Dwyane Wade has the ball and is driving on Nowitzki when he extends his forearm into Nowitzki’s chest, pushing him back. The whistle blew as Nowitzki stumbled, and he immediately reacted, anticipating the blown call after some thought Wade received a forgiving whistle all game.

9. Reggie Evans With the High-5 Technical

2012 Western Conference First Round: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Reggie Evans draws a foul and high-fives Blake Griffin in celebration. The high-five earns him a technical foul.

No one wants to see the refs take over a playoff game, and when they start policing celebrations — especially one this innocent — that’s what happens. In Game 6 of the first-round series between Memphis and the Clippers, Reggie Evans drew a foul in the second quarter on Quincy Pondexter. Evans got up and high-fived teammate Blake Griffin to celebrate, leading Marc Davis to whistle him for a tech.

The broadcast was in disbelief and went back to the replay to see if something happened that viewers may have missed. There was nothing. The foul was called and within a second, Evans was high-fiving Griffin, and the whistle blew again for the technical. That was it.

8. Jimmy Butler Kicks Aaron Gordon in the Groin

2023 NBA Finals Game 5: Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler attempts a three, kicking out his right leg and hitting Aaron Gordon in the groin. Gordon is called for the foul.

With the Nuggets leading the 2023 NBA Finals 3-1, the Heat were fighting to keep their season alive, down four late in the fourth quarter. That’s when Jimmy Butler attempted a three from the right corner that would have cut the deficit to one. He fell to the ground with two Nuggets players right in front of him, so initially it wasn’t shocking to hear the whistle blow.

Then we saw the replay. No, Aaron Gordon, who was assessed the foul, did not touch Butler. Butler, however, kicked his leg out and hit Gordon in the groin. That’s as brutal a foul call as you’ll ever see. The kicker (no pun intended): The Nuggets challenged the call and the refs didn’t overturn it.

Denver won the game anyway, capturing its first-ever NBA championship.

7. Kevin Durant Takes 3 Steps Out of Bounds

January 2019: Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors
Kevin Durant saves the ball with both feet firmly planted out of bounds.

This was one of those plays that was so obvious in real time that you began to doubt your own eyes. Until the national TNT broadcast showed the replay. With about 30 seconds left in a tied game in overtime, Kevin Durant drove the lane, lost the ball, and chased after it in an effort to recover. After taking three steps out of bounds, he tracked down the ball and fired it to a teammate.

The broadcast didn’t say anything as it happened, but even with Durant going out of bounds in the near corner, the camera showed it clearly.

“How in the world do you miss that?” play-by-play man Mike Breen yelled, to which his color analyst Reggie Miller agreed.

It ultimately worked out for the Rockets, who won the game anyway, 135-134.

6. Morris Peterson Ejected for Fun

January 2006: New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Morris Peterson ejected for playfully slapping Vince Carter in the face.

This is what happens when a referee makes a call after only seeing part of what happened. By itself, Morris Peterson of the Raptors slapping the Nets’ Vince Carter in the face would be grounds for ejection. The problem is that the two ex-teammates were just joking around, and Carter even started it.

Carter, playing for the Nets after starting his career in Toronto, gave Peterson a playful slap during a dead ball and Peterson returned the favor. The ref, only seeing the latter exchange, ejected Peterson, who was livid. He removed his jersey and fired it into the crowd as he walked off the court while cameras caught Carter laughing to himself.

5. Amir Johnson’s Most Obvious Double-Dribble Ever

January 2013: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Toronto Raptors
Amir Johnson gets away with a blatant double-dribble.

The double-dribble isn’t one of the more common calls in an NBA game, but it is one of the easiest to spot, particularly if you’re as obvious about it as Amir Johnson. The Raptors forward caught a pass midway through the first quarter in a game against the Trail Blazers, took one dribble, and picked it up about 13 feet from the basket. After trying to pass to a teammate, he turned toward the basket, faked a shot, and put the ball on the floor one more time before hitting a short jumper.

No whistle. It was so obvious that the broadcast brought it up in real time as Johnson ran back down the court unable to contain his laughter. Blazers coach Terry Stotts, who saw the play unfold just feet in front of him, could only look on in amazement.

4. Marcus Camby Fouls Steve Nash From 10 Feet Away

2010 Western Conference First Round: Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Steve Nash is sent to the free throw line after a foul called on Marcus Camby, who was not involved in the play.

It was never clear exactly what Joey Crawford saw on this play in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round, but it resulted in free throws for Steve Nash. The play came in the third quarter as Nash dribbled between the circles. As he made a pass, Crawford whistled for a foul on Marcus Camby, who at the time was a good 10 feet away from the play.

The broadcast assumed that since Camby was whistled for the foul, something must have happened off the ball. But replay showed minimal contact — and then Crawford specifically yelled for Nash to shoot free throws. And it’s not an instance of Crawford mistaking Nash’s defender for Camby — there was literally no one in Nash’s general vicinity when the whistle blew.

It’s a play that doesn’t make sense no matter which angle you see it from.

3. Joey Crawford Commits the Foul

2005 Eastern Conference Finals: Detroit Pistons vs. Miami Heat
Joey Crawford accidentally runs into Damon Jones, pushing him out of bounds. Crawford immediately calls nearby Chauncey Billups for the foul.

The Pistons won the game, so it ultimately didn’t matter, but Joey Crawford almost handed the Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat by making a mistake, then compounding it with another. With Detroit up three and less than 20 seconds to go, the referee came barreling down the court, colliding with Damon Jones and forcing him out of bounds. He blew his whistle as he was making contact with the Heat player, signaling the foul was on the nearby Billups.

Billups didn’t even appear to argue the call — he seemed too stunned by what had happened, smiling and stretching his arms out at a foul he “committed” simply by being near Crawford when the collision occurred.

2. Tim Duncan Gets Tossed for Laughing

April 2007: San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks
Tim Duncan is thrown out of the game while sitting on the bench. Cameras only catch him laughing.

Joey Crawford makes another appearance on this list, and this time, his blunder cost him $100,000.

In the third quarter of a regular season game between the Spurs and Mavericks, Duncan was taking a breather on the San Antonio bench when something caused him to laugh. Crawford quickly assessed him two technicals and the Hall of Famer was ejected from the game.

What exactly went down between the two is up for debate. Duncan claims Crawford challenged him to a fight, while Crawford says Duncan was throwing expletives his way. In addition to his fine, Crawford was suspended for the remainder of the season. The NBA also fined Duncan $25,000 for verbal abuse of an official.

“The Duncan thing probably changed my life,” Crawford said in a 2012 interview with The New York Times. “It was just—you come to the realization that maybe the way you’ve been doing things is not the proper way and you have to regroup, not only on the court but off the court.”

1. Even the Officials Say the 2002 Western Conference Finals Were Rigged

2002 Western Conference Finals Game 6: Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Lakers get an overly friendly whistle.

Reasonable minds will usually agree it’s a myth that refs will fix a playoff game to ensure an outcome favorable to the league. The 2002 Western Conference Finals put that belief to the test. With the Kings leading the Lakers 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and on the verge of their first-ever conference title, they suddenly fell victim to a one-sided whistle.

The Lakers, who had taken 13 free throws through the first three quarters, entered the fourth quarter in a tie game. They took 27 more free throws in the final 12 minutes alone. While Kobe Bryant elbowed Mike Bibby in the face with no call, the Kings seemed to draw a whistle simply for breathing. Or, in Vlade Divacs’ case, getting shoved by Shaquille O’Neal.

This game was at the heart of disgraced referee Tim Donaghy‘s assertion that officials were fixing games. In a letter submitted by his attorneys, he argued that two of the three refs heavily favored the Lakers in an effort to extend the series to seven games.

Got one to add to the list? Sound off in the comments!

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