When NBA players finally conquer a championship, they receive a gold trophy and a ring, while the prize for referees is the white jacket. The time has now come for two officials to blow their whistle at the Finals, as Tyler Ford and Ben Taylor are set to make history at basketball’s biggest stage.
Both refs were the only two first-time selections on a roster of 12 officials that were announced on Tuesday morning to work the NBA Finals between Indiana and Oklahoma City, which are set to being this Thursday at the Thunder‘s home arena. “That jacket’s really sweet and it’s sort of our trophy.
“There’s a special significance to the white jacket,” Ford said. “Everybody’s who’s been in the Finals or aspires to do the Finals recognizes that. You get one when you’re an alternate because you walk out there and you take a picture and you’ve got to be prepared, but it’s a little different when you’re actually one of the 12 and you’ll be working on the floor.”
NBA Finals refs have been announced to officiate Pacers-Thunder 🚨🍿
James Williams
Scott Foster
Tony Brothers
Marc Davis
David Guthrie
James Capers
Josh Tiven
John Goble
Zach Zarba
Sean Wright
Ben Taylor
Tyler Ford(via @OfficialNBARefs) pic.twitter.com/jRF8swBKjd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 3, 2025
In the past, both referees have worked as alternates before, but never formally in the Finals as the main officials. “I literally wrote on every one of them. I wrote ALT on the tag of every one I’ve got so far,” Taylor shared. “It’s the culmination of life’s work. I got into the minor leagues at 20 or 21 years old.”
Ben, who has officiated 564 regular-season games and 31 playoff games in 10 seasons, then added: “It’s all I’ve ever known and it’s all I’ve ever done. It’s the pinnacle. The extreme pinnacle is Game 7 crew chief, but this is a strong step in that direction.”
While Scott Foster completes the list as the most experiences in NBA Finals, he was also picked for his 18th appearance. Alongside him, Tony Brothers and Marc Davis were serve for a 14th time, James Caspers his 13th, Zach Zarba for the 12th and John Goble it will be his 9th time.
“We are grateful for these 12 individuals and their dedication to serving the game at the highest levels throughout the season,” said Byron Spruell, who serves as the NBA President for League Operations. “Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the top honor as an NBA official, and I congratulate this exceptional group on a worthy achievement.”
