LAS VEGAS — Forty-two-year-old Richard Jefferson stepped on an NBA court for the first time since he retired. But it wasn’t to play — it was to referee a Las Vegas Summer League game.
Jefferson — who spent seven seasons with the Nets, and won a 2016 title with Cleveland — refereed the second quarter of Monday night’s Knicks vs. Trail Blazers game at Thomas & Mack Arena.
“Part of the reason why I agreed to do it is because I had such a tremendous amount of respect for the officials. I understand how important they are to our game,” said Jefferson, an ESPN broadcaster. “I got texts from Monty McCutchen. I got texts from Bob Delaney. I was getting texts from Scott Foster, Zach Zarba, because I have relationships with these guys because I respect what they do in their craft.
“So for me to get the opportunity to come out here and just run around a little bit and learn, it’s intense. Anybody that wants to criticize the officials just go referee a high school game first and then you might look at it a little differently.”
Jefferson went to officiating meetings to prep for his one-off cameo role, five sessions of an hour-and-a-half each.
And Jefferson saw the irony in his refereeing debut coming against the Knicks. He had a long history of both beating them as a player with the Nets, and of prodding their fanbase while a Nets broadcaster.
“I have no issue with the Knick fans. I understand when they see my face, I understand they can get frustrated for all the years of pain that we tormented them through,” Jefferson joked. “No, I respect the Knicks. Part of the rivalry — and it’s like Ohio State-Michigan, UCLA-USC, Duke-North Carolina — the Knicks are the team in the town. We’re the Nets, so there’s always going to be the rivalry.
“There’s always going to be that energy and I have no problem leaning into it, playing into it. Nothing but a ton of respect for everybody in the Knick organization though.”
Even if he enjoys trolling them. There was some good-natured ribbing back and forth with the Knicks braintrust seated courtside.
“Yeah, just a little bit. [Tom Thibodeau] was over there cracking jokes, telling me to blow my whistle, just having some fun,” Jefferson said. “And again, just like I said, it was an amazing experience.”
The Knicks fans jeered Jefferson by name after several calls. And McCutchen — the NBA’s Senior Vice President, Head of Referee Development and Training — even saw the humor in Jefferson’s interactions with the fans.
“They definitely had some fun. You know, we even saw Rich wave at one time,” McCutchen laughed. “I probably wouldn’t allow that had he pursued a refereeing career, but we’ll probably allow it under these circumstances.”