Dick Bavetta
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| Dick Bavetta | |
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| Born | December 10, 1939 Brooklyn, New York, USA |
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | St. Francis College |
| Occupation | NBA referee |
| Spouse | Married[1] |
| Children | Two children[1] |
Dick Bavetta (born December 10, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York)[2] is an American professional basketball referee for the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his 32 NBA seasons, since 1975, he has never missed an assigned game. By the start of the 2006-07 NBA season, he had worked 2,164 regular season and 228 playoff games, including 24 NBA Finals games.[3] He currently holds the league record for most officiated games.[4] He wears uniform number 27.
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[edit] Early life
Bavetta attended Power Memorial High School in New York City and is a 1962 graduate of Saint Francis College in New York[3] and played on the schools' basketball teams.[5] He got into officiating after his brother, Joe, who officiated in the American Basketball Association, convinced him it would be an area of interest to him.[5] As a Wall Street broker for Solomon Brothers with an MBA in finance, Bavetta began officiating games played by fellow brokers in the Wall Street League played at New York's Downtown Athletic Club and later worked high school games.[5] For ten years, he officiated Public and Catholic High School leagues in New York and later nine years in the Eastern Professional Basketball League, which later became the Continental Basketball Association.[3] Bavetta was hired by the NBA in 1975 following the retirement of Mendy Rudolph.[6]
[edit] NBA officiating career
[edit] Altercation with Earl Strom
Bavetta was officiating an NBA game during the mid-1970s between the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets with Earl Strom as his partner for that game.[7] Bavetta overruled Strom on a crucial last-second personal foul call against the Nets, which would have been a victory for the 76ers.[7] When the game ended and players were walking to their respective locker rooms, the door to the referees' locker room flew open and Bavetta came staggering out.[7] His uniform was allegedly ripped and he was wearing a big welt over his eye, running to get away from Strom.[7] Strom stepped out into the hallway and hollered after Bavetta, "You'll take another one of my fucking calls again, right, you motherfucker?"[7]
[edit] Most memorable game
Bavetta's most memorable game occurred during a 1980s nationally televised contest between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics when he was forced to officiate an NBA game by himself after his partner, Jack Madden, broke his leg in a collision with Celtics guard Dennis Johnson.[4][8] As the game progressed, Celtics forward Larry Bird and 76ers guard Julius Erving began to strangle each other and were ejected by Bavetta.[4] Bavetta believed this game assisted in the progession of his career in the NBA.[8]
[edit] Allegations of Game Fixing
The former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, facing prison after admitting to gambling on games, claims Game 6 of a 2002 playoffs series was fixed to ensure a seventh game.
In a letter filed Tuesday June 03, 2008 in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., that attempts to show his level of cooperation in hopes of receiving a lighter jail term, Donaghy alleges two of that game's three referees were "company men" who used "manipulation" to extend the series to a deciding seventh game. The team that lost Game 6 had two players "ejected," claims the letter from Donaghy attorney John F. Lauro, and later lost the series.
While former NBA referee Tim Donaghy did not specifically mention which 2002 playoff series was fixed, the Lakers-Kings Western Conference finals is the only one that fits his description.
And while no Kings were ejected, Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard did foul out as Shaquille O'Neal attempted 17 free throws in a 106-102 loss in Los Angeles.
"Referees A, F, and G were officiating a playoff series between the Team 5 and Team 6 in May of 2002," the letter states, using place holders instead of names. "It was the sixth game of a seven-game series, and a Team 5 victory that night would have ended the series. However, Tim learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games. Tim knew Referees A and F to be 'company men,' always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA's best interest to add another game to the series."
The letter goes on to say the two referees heavily favored Team 6, ignoring blatant fouls committed by its players and calling "made-up" fouls against Team 5, giving Team 6 more free throw chances.
"The referees' favoring of Team 6 led to that team's victory that night and Team 6 came back from behind to win the series," the letter states.
The referees – a highly rated crew of veterans Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney and Ted Bernhardt – called the Kings for 31 fouls in the game that sent the Lakers to the line for 40 attempts, including 27 in the decisive fourth quarter of the 106-102 L.A. win. Three of the Kings' fouls were intentional to stop the clock and get the ball back over the final 19.8 seconds. The Kings, by comparison, shot 25 free throws the entire game on 24 Lakers fouls.
"I haven't looked at the letters specifically. I've had portions of it read to me, and all I can say is he's looking for anything that will somehow shorten his sentence, and it's not going to happen," Commissioner David Stern said Tuesday in Los Angeles.
How would lies benefit Donaghy? "You'd have to ask his lawyer," Stern said.
[edit] Consecutive game record
On February 8, 2006, Bavetta officiated his 2,135th NBA game, setting a league record for most games officiated that was previously held by Jake O'Donnell.[6] Bavetta said the secret to his longevity was "wearing five pairs of socks", which he claims helped keep his feet in good shape.[6] Contributing to his good health, Bavetta says he runs five to eight miles every day.[6]
[edit] Knicks-Nuggets brawl
During the 2006-07 NBA season, Bavetta officiated a December 16, 2006 game between the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets. The game involved a brawl where all ten players on the court were ejected by Bavetta and his officiating crew.[9] The league eventually suspended seven of the players for a total of 47 games and fined both teams $500,000.[10]
[edit] Charitable race against Charles Barkley
During the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend, Bavetta raced Turner Network Television (TNT) studio analyst and former NBA player Charles Barkley for a $75,000 charitable donation ($50,000 contributed by the NBA and $25,000 by TNT) to the Las Vegas, Nevada Boys and Girls Clubs of America,[11] but lost by a narrow margin.[12] The distance of the race was three and one half full lengths of the court[12] (or 329 feet). Bavetta lost the race despite a last-second dive and Barkley running the last portion of the race backwards.[12] The dive resulted in an abrasion injury to Bavetta's right knee.[2] Bavetta gave Barkley a hug and a kiss on the lips after the race.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Person of the Week: Dick Bavetta", ABC News, 2006-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ a b Misener, Darren. "Bavetta vs. Barkley: Sir Charles Reigns", NBA.com, 2007-07-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ a b c Dick Bavetta #27. National Basketball Referees Association. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ a b c "Dick Bavetta: A Consecutive Legend", National Basketball Referees Association, 2007-02-07. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ a b c DuPree, David. "Bavetta proves he's officially capable", USA Today, 2004-02-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ a b c d Sheridan, Chris. "At 66, Bavetta to break record for most games refereed", ESPN.com, 2006-02-09. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e The big dunk. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ a b Nance, Roscoe. "Whistle-blower Bavetta shows no signs of slowing", USA Today, 2006-02-07. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ "Nuggets, Knicks in wild free-for-all; 10 players tossed", Associated Press, 2006-12-16. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ "Suspensions total 47 games from Knicks-Nuggets fight", ESPN.com, 2006-12-20. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ Butler, Sarah Lorge. I'm a Runner: Dick Bavetta. Runner's World. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ a b c Dixon, Oscar. "Barkley's race with 67-year-old ref steals show on All-Star Saturday", USA Today, 2007-02-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ (Video) The Race: Barkley vs. Bavetta. NBA.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
