Who are the officials in a basketball game?
A · Advanced · Players, officials and the court · 9 of 9A game has two or three referees on the court: a crew chief and one or two umpires. At the scorer's table sit a scorer, an assistant scorer, a timer and a shot clock operator. The referees' decisions on the rules are final, though a team may protest certain errors after the game.
How it works
- Each referee may call any infraction. No referee may set aside or question another's decision.
- The crew chief inspects the equipment, chooses the game ball, tosses the opening jump ball, has the final say when referees disagree and signs the scoresheet, which ends the referees' authority.
- Referees should not stop the game for incidental contact that gives no advantage.
- The scorer records points, fouls and time-outs and runs the possession arrow. The timer runs the game clock and times time-outs and intervals. The shot clock operator runs the shot clock.
- A commissioner, if there is one, supervises the table.
- If a referee is injured and cannot continue within 5 minutes, the others carry on alone unless a qualified replacement is available.
Tricky cases
Can a team protest a referee's decision?
No, not a judgement call. A protest is allowed only for an uncorrected scoring, timing or shot clock error, for a decision to forfeit or not play the game, or for a breach of eligibility rules.
Can the referees fix a mistake after play has moved on?
It depends on the mistake. Wrongly awarded or missed free throws, wrong points, a foul given to the wrong player and clock errors are correctable errors, each within a time limit.
Why the rule exists
Basketball has too many clocks and counts for the referees to keep alone. Splitting the work lets those on the court watch the players.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FIBA rules | Crew chief and 1 or 2 umpires | A46 |
| Protests | Captain tells the crew chief within 15 minutes; written reasons within 1 hour | App C |
From the rule book
FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Articles 45 to 51 and Appendix C, valid from 1 October 2026. Checked 13 October 2026. Official document: FIBA Official Basketball Rules (PDF).