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The officiating of the 2021 NBA Finals has led to enticing barbershop conversations and bar debates. Scott Foster was the referee assigned to Game 3 of the 2021 NBA Finals at Fiserv Forum. Scott Foster has been linked to Chris Paul on numerous occasions, with Paul suggesting that Foster deliberately rules against his teams. Chris Paul-led teams are now 0-12 in the last 12 playoff games officiated by Scott Foster.
Before the OKC Thunder's Game 7 loss to the Houston Rockets in the 2020 NBA playoffs, Scott Foster made it a point to remind Chris Paul that he had officiated his Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs back in 2008 as well when CP3 was with the New Orleans Hornets.
Who are some of the best NBA referees of all time?
The anger towards Foster and some of the other NBA officials is well documented and it has gotten fans wondering who is the best NBA referee of all time. Some of these referees have been officiating games for decades and have had significantly longer careers than players. Let's take a look at the top five referees of all time in the NBA, not ranked in any order.
#1 Mendy Rudolph
![Mendy Rudolph [Source: Connecticut Public Radio]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/76523-16261197409198-800.jpg)
Mendy Rudolph worked in the NBA as a referee for 22 years from 1953 to 1975. In that span, he officiated 2112 games, a record he held until his retirement. He was the first official at the time to cross the 2000-game mark. Rudolph also officiated eight NBA All-Star games and was assigned to 22 consecutive NBA Finals.
In 1961, he made NBA history by officiating every game in the 1961 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks. In 1966, Mendy Rudolph was named referee-in-chief and worked alongside Dolph Schayes, who was hired as the league's supervisor of officials. He oversaw the referee's mechanics, techniques, and rule interpretations as the head of officials. Mendy Rudolph is one of the few referees to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
#2 Dick Bavetta
![Dick Bavetta [Source: Bleacher Report]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/24a71-16261205508420-800.jpg)
Dick Bavetta retired in 2014 at the age of 75 after an illustrous 39-year career as an NBA referee. He held his job to high standards and had never missed an assigned game since starting his career in 1975. Bavetta holds the record for most NBA games officiated with 2635 and in 2013, he officiated his 2600th consecutive NBA game. He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Bavetta had tons of memorable moments in the NBA. He was famous for kissing Charles Barkley and racing the latter in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. From 1990 to 2000, he regularly officiated NBA playoff games and was ranked highest in performance evaluation and was also one of the highest paid officials, earning $200,000 a year.
#3 Joey Crawford
Joey Crawford retired in 2016 after a 39-year NBA career filled with controversy. He has built a reputation for assessing technical fouls and ejections to both players and coaches. He became famous for throwing out Tim Duncan while the star forward was just laughing on the bench. The incident got him suspended from the league and broke his streak of NBA Finals appearances. He officiated every NBA Finals from 1986 to 2015 except the 2007 one.
However, he is one of the most respected NBA officials by the league and coaches. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said Crawford "will definitely be missed" when the latter announced his retirement. As of 2015, Joey Crawford had worked in more NBA playoffs (313) and NBA Finals (50) games than any other active referee. He was one of the few referees to cross the 2000-game mark.
#4 Earl Strom
![Earl Strom in 1978 [Source: The Spokesman Review]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/18b47-16261226636470-800.jpg)
One of the greatest but most controversial NBA referees of all time, Earl Strom was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. He was nicknamed "The Pied Piper" as he blew his whistle by using a "tweet-pause-tweet-tweet" tune. In his 32-year officiating career, he worked on 29 NBA and ABA finals, 2400 regular-season games, and 295 NBA playoff games.
Strom was famous for fighting with other referees, including resorting to physical violence when they disagreed with their calls. Incidents like these have led to fines and suspensions by the NBA. He worked in the NBA and ABA from 1957 to 1990.
#5 Darell Garretson
![Darell Garretson [Source: Basketball Hall of Fame]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/fde8f-16261235324739-800.jpg)
Darell Garretson is another NBA official who has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was looked up to by many referees and was inducted in the Hall of Fame after a 27-year career. He worked as an NBA referee from 1967 to 1994 and then as the NBA Supervisor of Officials from 1981 to 1998. Garretson has officiated 1798 regular season games, 269 NBA playoff games and 39 NBA Finals games in his career.
He left an incredible mark in his time with the NBA. Darell Garretson was credited with creating the first union for NBA referees, a predecessor to the current NBRA (National Basketball Referee's Association). He was also an advocate for increasing the number of officials on the court from two to three. Garretson also developed the concept of "refereeing the defense," a practice in which officials focus attention on a defensive player instead of watching the ball.
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