Hwang In-tae promoted to full-time NBA referee

Referee Hwang In-tae, who became the first Korean to officiate in the National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season, is set to serve as a full-time NBA referee starting in the new season.

The NBA announced Wednesday that it has promoted Hwang and others to full-time referees. The league announced 74 full-time staff officials, including Hwang, for the 2023-2024 season. "We are pleased to welcome Referee Hwang as a full-time staff official,” NBA Vice President and Head of Development and Training for Referee Operations Monty McCutcheon said. “Hwang has done an outstanding job and has earned the right to officiate in the NBA's regular season.”

The 44-year-old Korean is a veteran referee of the game. He started his career in the Korean Basketball Association in 2004 before officiating the KBL from 2008-2019, where he refereed 466 games, including the playoffs. Hwang is an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) referee and officiated for the women's basketball final at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Hwang moved to the U.S. in January 2020 after being invited by the NBA to participate in its referee development program, where he gained experience officiating in the NBA's secondary G League since the 2021-2022 season. On October 31 last year, he became the first Korean to officiate in the NBA by serving as assistant referee for a regular season game between Houston and Phoenix. Since then, he has worked seven NBA games on a non-commissioned basis, as well as games in the G League and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Hwang will continue to work G League games for the foreseeable future. According to ESPN, it is mandatory for referees with less than four years of experience.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com