Who is NBA referee Ben Taylor?

Ben Taylor is in the limelight again after a questionable outing during the Toronto Raptors-LA Lakers game on Jan. 9, 2024. After his latest game, fans wondered who is Ben Taylor and the career he's carved out as an NBA referee.

Before that, we look back at the lowlights he had, which hit the spotlight recently. During the Raptors-Lakers game on Jan. 9, the Lakers were awarded 23 free throws in the fourth, while the Raptors made only two trips to the foul line.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic went off in his post-game press conference about the officiating crew's decision-making.

It was similar to ex-Raptors star Fred VanVleet's rant last season after he was ejected by Taylor.

During a postgame interview, he went out of his way to publicly criticize the job Taylor did during a game between the Raptors and LA Clippers earlier this year.

"I'll take a fine I dont really care. I thought Ben Taylor was f*cking terrible tonight. On most nights, out of the three there's usually one or two that just f*ck the game up."

The rant came on the heels of the Raptors suffering an eight-point loss to the LA Clippers. VanVleet was also heated because he got a technical foul during that he thought shouldn't have been called.

Later on, VanVleet made sure to credit the good refs that are hired by the NBA. That being said, he made sure to note that fans are there to see the players, not the officials.

"Most of the refs try hard, I like a lot of the refs. They're pretty fair, they communicate well. And then you got the other ones who just want to be d*cks and that kind of f*cks the game up. Nobody wants to see that."

VanVleet was fined for his comments, and Rajakovic is likely to face the same fate.

Who is NBA referee Ben Taylor?

Ben Taylor is one of the many veterans in the NBA's referee rotation. This year marks his 10th season as an NBA official.

In his time as a ref, Ben Taylor has officiated over 600 regular-season games and 22 postseason matchups. He made his first appearance in the playoffs back in 2019.

Like other officials, Taylor had to make his way up the ranks before landing a job with the NBA. Before getting the call, he was a ref for the G-League for six seasons. Taylor also spent some time with FIBA before making the jump to the big stage.

Taylor has got to see some incredible games up close, but one stands out above the rest. Per his bio on the National Basketball Referees Association page, his most memorable game was when LeBron James scored a career-high 61 points against the Bobcats while playing for the Miami Heat.