The NBA revealed its 12-person officiating team for the 2026 Finals on Tuesday, marking a milestone moment for Curtis Blair who will referee his first championship series alongside Scott Foster, who returns for his 19th Finals appearance.
The championship matchup kicks off Wednesday evening at 8:30 p.m. ET when the New York Knicks visit the San Antonio Spurs for Game 1.
“Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the highest honor for an NBA official, and I congratulate them on an outstanding and well-earned achievement,” said Byron Spruell, NBA President, League Operations. “We are grateful for their unwavering dedication to the game and pursuit of excellence in their craft.”
NBA Referee Operation management chose the crew after evaluating their performance scores for accurate calls and additional criteria throughout both the regular season and playoffs.
Joining Blair and Foster on the Finals roster are Tony Brothers (15th Finals), Marc Davis (15th), James Capers (14th), Zach Zarba (13th), John Goble (10th), Josh Tiven (seventh), James Williams (sixth), Courtney Kirkland (fifth), Sean Wright (third) and Tyler Ford (second).
The 55-year-old Blair previously worked as a Finals alternate in both 2021 and 2022. Since joining the NBA in 2008, he has officiated over 1,000 games.
“Very emotional moment, very emotional moment for me, because I’ve been right there on the doorstep for so many years,” Blair told The Associated Press. “Yeah, very emotional. This is my 18th year and one thing I had to realize going through this journey is that everybody has their own journey. Everybody has their own timetable. You become a referee, become an umpire, you get to the first round, the second round, third round. You just have to worry about yourself and your journey.”
Among the selected crew, Foster leads with 26 Finals games under his belt, while Davis has worked 23 and Brothers has officiated 19.
The league has designated Nick Buchert, JB DeRosa, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne as this year’s backup officials.
Specific referee assignments for each game will be published on the league’s official website around 9 a.m. ET on game days.
