Tony Brothers Lands in NBPA Tier 1 Referee Group
tony brothers landed in the NBPA’s Tier 1 referee group after the union publicly released its 2025-26 referee-player survey results for the first time. The release places him among the league’s top-rated officials as the NBPA’s rankings feed into future playoff and Finals assignments.
NBPA survey lists 26 Tier 1 officials
The survey drew responses from 411 players across all 30 teams, who rated 73 NBA officials on a scale from 1 to 5. The league sorted the officials into three tiers, with Tier 1 labeled “Elite & Top Performers,” Tier 2 labeled “Solid Performers,” and Tier 3 labeled “Need Improvement.”
Tony Brothers was one of 26 referees placed in Tier 1. Zach Zarba finished No. 1 in the player rankings, while Kevin Cutler also made the top group. Scott Foster, Ashley Moyer-Gleich and Sha’Rae Mitchell landed in Tier 2.
Playoff and Finals assignments
The release is not just a ratings exercise. The NBPA said the survey serves as the official player recommendation for further referee assignments for the 2026 playoffs and the 2026 NBA Finals, so the tiering feeds directly into the pool of officials considered for the league’s biggest games.
That makes the split between Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 more than a public label. John Goble was listed in Tier 3, and he was one of 20 referees voted into that bottom group after players had seen enough to separate him from the top two tiers.
Player feedback carries weight
Grant Williams framed the exercise around communication and consistency, saying, “I think officiating comes down to the person. I don’t think you can reform the calls themselves. People are human, and they’re going to make mistakes,” and, “But the best officials in the league, according to the players, are the great communicators, the ones who understand when they’ve made a mistake.”
He added, “As long as you’re calling a game consistently, guys are willing to adapt,” and, “It’s about having control of the game while also respecting the players and their different personalities.”
The player feedback landed in a season where emotions around officials stayed visible. LeBron James loudly berated and cursed at John Goble during Game 2 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, and Austin Reaves later said Goble screamed directly in his face before a jump ball in the fourth quarter of that game.
For Brothers, the public list puts him in the group players want on major assignments. For Goble, Tier 3 is the tougher label. The NBPA has now shown exactly which officials players trust most when the bracket tightens and the league starts choosing who works in May and June.
