(From left) referees Courtney Kirkland, Zach Zarba, John Goble and David Guthrie are among the 12 officials selected for NBA Finals duty.
Marc Davis, David Guthrie and Ed Malloy will serve as the officiating crew for Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV. The series tips off tonight in Denver (8:30 ET, ABC) as the Nuggets host the Miami Heat.
Additionally, the NBA announced today the list of the 12 game officials assigned to the 2023 NBA Finals.
“The pinnacle for an NBA official is to work the NBA Finals,” said Byron Spruell, NBA President, League Operations. “This group has demonstrated through their outstanding work during the playoffs that they are worthy of being selected to officiate in the NBA Finals.”
NBA Finals officials were selected by the NBA Referee Operations management team based on their performance throughout the first three rounds of the 2023 playoffs. Officials were evaluated after each round to determine advancement in this year’s postseason.
The referees assigned to the 2023 NBA Finals are below:
| Tony Brothers (12th Finals) | Courtney Kirkland (3rd) |
| Marc Davis (12th) | Ed Malloy (8th) |
| Scott Foster (16th) | Kevin Scott (1st) |
| John Goble (7th) | Josh Tiven (4th) |
| David Guthrie (6th) | James Williams (3rd) |
| Bill Kennedy (5th) | Zach Zarba (10th) |
Foster has officiated 23 NBA Finals games, followed by Davis with 18, and Brothers at 15.
NBA officials Tyler Ford and Ben Taylor have been assigned as alternates for the 2023 NBA Finals.
Individual game assignments for referees are posted at NBA.com/official at approximately 9 a.m. ET each game day.
