Kane Fitzgerald, an NBA referee for 13 years, has been named the league's new vice president of referee operations and head of the replay centre. He is taking over for Jason Phillips, another ex-referee who departed the position after three years.
At the beginning of the league's annual preseason referee meetings on Sunday, the 41-year-old Fitzgerald began working in his new position.
It's a rare opportunity to leave the court as a referee and land a position of this stature in the NBA, Fitzgerald said. "I've always kind of been thrilled about new challenges," Fitzgerald said. I'm looking forward to the challenge, trying something new and different, and seeing if I can grow into the position and succeed just as well as I did on the court.
Throughout his time on the court, Fitzgerald steadily rose up the ranks. His father, who has been a referee for 49 years and is still working games, introduced him to the business when he was 18 and he began officiating high school games in his native New Jersey.
Following appearances at the college level in the Big South, Atlantic Sun, and Ohio Valley conferences, Fitzgerald played in the WNBA for two years before spending another four in the G League. He was chosen to work four NBA Finals contests, the most recent of which was the Boston-Golden State series this past season.
He was unaware that this chance would arise at the time.
The NBA's President for League Operations, Byron Spruell, stated that Kane is "well-suited to oversee our efforts to maintain the highest standards for the NBA Replay Center" due to his extensive experience and illustrious career as an NBA official. We are fortunate that he will fill such a crucial leadership position with his knowledge and experience.
Fitzgerald's new position will require him to manage all daily activities at the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. His involvement in referee operations will also include making instructional DVDs and explaining game rules to officials, teams, broadcasters, and the press.
Fitzgerald can now maintain a more regular routine with his family thanks to the transfer. He currently lives in Florida and works in New Jersey, so travel will still be necessary for the job, but there will be more time for him to spend with his family and friends because he won't be officiating as many games.
Fitzgerald estimated that out of the previous 17 years, he had only celebrated Christmas on Christmas Day five times. And I spent Thanksgiving at home for the first time last year. Therefore, the family will experience some extremely favourable changes as a result of this timetable.
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