For one referee, path from Korea to the NBA wasn’t easy
- Much in the same way that NBA teams scout internationally for player talent, the NBA also scouts all over the globe for refereeing talent
- Hwang Intae has been an official for nearly 20 years, but it wasn’t always easy. He got headbutted by a coach in 2014 which left him evaluating his future
Intae Hwang wanted to play basketball. His parents wouldn’t allow it. He reached the NBA anyway.
Hwang took the ultimate leap of faith nearly three years ago: Move his family halfway across the world, from their native South Korea to a new home in New Jersey, to follow his dream of becoming an NBA referee.
He’s getting closer to making that a reality, after working some preseason games this month – including Monday’s Washington-Charlotte contest – and is expected to get some assignments as a non-staff official during the regular season.
“The NBA was just my dream,” Hwang said. “I watched it on TV, right? That’s it. I never, ever tried to get into the NBA by myself.”
Instead, the NBA found him.
Hwang has been an official for nearly 20 years, and it wasn’t always easy; he got headbutted by a coach in 2014, and he said that left him evaluating his future. But he stayed in the game and was selected by FIBA – the sport’s international governing body – to be part of the referee corps for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Much in the same way that NBA teams scout internationally for player talent, the NBA also scouts all over the globe for refereeing talent.
