NEW YORK – The NBA today announced the 36 officials who have been selected to officiate the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs presented by Google. The group will also serve as the officiating staff for the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament.
“Selection to officiate in the Playoffs is a significant achievement that reflects a season of outstanding work,” said Byron Spruell, NBA President, League Operations. “Congratulations to these 36 officials for earning this honor through their dedication, professionalism and on-court excellence.”
Below is the list of officials for the first round:
Ray Acosta, Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Tony Brothers, Nick Buchert, John Butler, James Capers, Sean Corbin, Kevin Cutler, Eric Dalen, Marc Davis, JB DeRosa, Mitchell Ervin, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Scott Foster, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, John Goble, Jason Goldenberg, Courtney Kirkland, Marat Kogut, Karl Lane, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Ed Malloy, Andy Nagy, Gediminas Petraitis, Natalie Sago, Kevin Scott, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Justin Van Duyne, James Williams, Sean Wright and Zach Zarba.
Jason Goldenberg and Natalie Sago are making their debuts as members of the NBA playoff officiating staff. Sago becomes the third woman selected to officiate in the NBA Playoffs, joining Violet Palmer and Ashley Moyer-Gleich.
The following officials are alternates for the first round: Mousa Dagher, Nate Green, Aaron Smith and Dedric Taylor.
Playoff officials are selected by the NBA Referee Operations management team based on key criteria assessed throughout the season: NBA Referee Operations grades and rankings, play-calling accuracy and team rankings. Officials are evaluated after each playoff round to determine advancement in the 2026 postseason.
The officials on the 2026 playoff roster average more than 16 years of NBA experience and total 588 years of combined service. Among them, 16 referees have officiated 50 or more playoff games. Nine officials have worked 100 or more playoff games: Scott Foster (262), Marc Davis (218), Tony Brothers (216), James Capers (204), Zach Zarba (173), John Goble (151), Ed Malloy (150), Sean Wright (104) and Sean Corbin (100). Twenty-eight officials have five or more years of playoff experience.
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament begins tomorrow with a Prime Video doubleheader, featuring the Miami Heat at the Charlotte Hornets and the Portland Trail Blazers at the Phoenix Suns. The first round of the NBA Playoffs presented by Google tips off Saturday, April 18. Individual game assignments for referees are posted at NBA.com/official at approximately 9 a.m. ET each game day.
