The NBA Players Association has turned one of basketball’s loudest private conversations into a public document. The NBPA released the findings from its 2025-26 Referee Player Survey, a league-wide evaluation that collected feedback from 411 players across all 30 teams and rated all 73 referees on a 1-to-5 scale. The results were delivered to the NBA league office in March and served as the players’ official recommendations for 2026 playoff assignments, with the NBPA saying the findings should also guide Finals selections.
The message was clear: the players are not simply asking for fewer mistakes. They are asking for the right people in the biggest games. The NBPA grouped officials into three categories: Tier 1, described as “Elite & Top Performers,” Tier 2, “Solid Performers,” and Tier 3, “Needs Improvement.” The union recommends that only Tier 1 or Tier 2 referees work playoff games, and that the NBA Finals be handled exclusively by Tier 1 officials.
Tier 1 includes Ray Acosta, Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Tony Brothers, Nick Buchert, John Butler, James Capers, Kevin Cutler, Eric Dalen, Marc Davis, JB DeRosa, Mitchell Ervin, Jacyn Goble, Nate Green, Bill Kennedy, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Ed Malloy, Phenizee Ransom, Dedric Taylor, Josh Tiven, James Williams, Sean Wright and Zach Zarba.
Tier 2 includes Brandon Adair, Derrick Collins, Sean Corbin, Mousa Dagher, Brian Forte, Scott Foster, Pat Fraher, Jason Goldenberg, David Guthrie, Matt Kallio, Marat Kogut, Sha’Rae Mitchell, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Matt Myers, Andy Nagy, Brett Nansel, JT Orr, Gediminas Petraitis, JD Ralls, Kevin Scott, Aaron Smith, Jonathan Sterling, Ben Taylor, Scott Twardoski, Justin Van Duyne, CJ Washington and Leon Wood.
Tier 3 includes Dannica Baroody, John Conley, Che Flores, Tyler Ford, John Goble, Robert Hussey, Intae Hwang, Simone Jelks, Biniam Maru, Suyash Mehta, Rodney Mott, Pat O’Connell, Jenna Reneau, Tyler Ricks, Natalie Sago, Jenna Schroeder, Brandon Schwab, Danielle Scott, Evan Scott and Michael Smith.
In an anonymous survey of 411 players conducted by and released today by @TheNBPA, NBA referees have been placed in three rating tiers: pic.twitter.com/BVdR6Z1CDx
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 13, 2026
The most striking individual result belonged to Zach Zarba, who was ranked as the NBA’s No. 1 referee and was the only official placed in the top 12 by every team in the league. Kevin Cutler also stood out, ranking No. 1 with six different teams. Scott Foster, long one of the league’s most discussed officials, was described by the NBPA as one of the most polarizing names in the data, with the highest standard deviation. One team ranked him first, but the overall feedback placed him in Tier 2.
Grant Williams, the NBPA’s First Vice President, put the issue in human terms. He said players understand officials will make mistakes, but value consistency, communication, accountability and respect. That is the heart of the survey. This is not merely a complaint about whistles. It is a demand for trust.
In a league where every possession can become a replay debate and every late-game whistle can dominate a series, the NBPA has made its position unmistakable. The best games should have the best players, the best stakes and, according to the players, the best officials. The spotlight, they argue, should stay where it belongs: on the basketball.
