74-year old NBA referee, Dick Bavetta, has announced his retirement after 39 seasons in the league, reports Yahoo! Sports’ Marc J. Spears. Bavetta holds the record of 2,635 consecutive regular season games officiated. No other referee comes close.
Dick Bavetta began his officiating career in 1975, making his debut in Madison Square Garden, where he officiated a game between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.
The most memorable moment of Bavetta’s career came during the 2007 All-Star Weekend when Charles Barkley challenged him to a foot race. Bavetta lost the race to Barkley, scraping and bleeding from his knee in the process.
Bavetta has been involved in other memorable NBA moments as well, with one involving him getting accidentally punched in the face by Indiana Pacers’ Jalen Rose, who was trying to punch Patrick Ewing instead. Bavetta also officiated the game between the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets where a brawl broke out between the two teams, which ultimately resulted into seven players being suspended.
Dick Bavetta was a top ranked referee in the league. His services will be truly missed by the NBA world.