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Tony Brothers considering mayoral run in Norfolk for 2028
Tony Brothers: After discussing the matter with numerous friends and neighbors and giving it considerable thought and reflection, I am now giving serious consideration to running for Mayor of the City of Norfolk in 2028. Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander’s recent announcement that he will not seek reelection marks a new chapter for our community, and we owe Mayor Alexander a considerable debt of gratitude for his leadership of our city.
My experience as an NBA official for more than three decades has shaped my understanding of leadership, discipline, and fairness—qualities I believe are essential in public service. My success as a local, small business owner and entrepreneur provides real-world experience that enables me to understand better the challenges we face as a community. To further help me in this next potential chapter, I also earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Old Dominion University in 2022, which further strengthens my commitment to understanding how to serve our city efficiently and effectively. While I contemplate launching a formal campaign, I welcome your input and comments. I will continue fulfilling my NBA officiating duties next season and through the 2027–2028 season. I will also use this time to work to earn the trust, support, and confidence of the people of Norfolk before making a final decision.
Veteran NBA official Scott Foster was not selected as one of the three referees for Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. The referees who were selected to officiate the first Finals Game 7 since 2016 -- and just the ninth since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 -- were James Capers, Josh Tiven and Sean Wright, with James Williams serving as an alternate.
Foster, who has worked more Finals series (18) and games (26) than any of the 12 referees selected to officiate the series by the NBA, had been expected to be chosen to not only officiate this game but also likely to serve as its crew chief -- the role he held for his lone appearance during these Finals in Game 4 in Indiana on June 13.
Foster has long been considered one of the NBA's top officials, but he has also become a lightning rod for attention, as various players, teams and fan bases have taken issue with his work. The other three referees who served as crew chiefs over the first four games of the series -- John Goble (Game 1), Zach Zarba (Game 2) and Capers (Game 3) -- all were given a second game, with Goble serving as the crew chief for Game 5, Zarba for Game 6 and Capers for Game 7.
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The NBA today announced the list of game officials assigned to the NBA Finals 2025 presented by YouTube TV. The championship series between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder tips off on Thursday, June 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The referees assigned to the 2025 NBA Finals are below: Tony Brothers (14th Finals), James Capers (13th Finals), Marc Davis (14th Finals), Tyler Ford (1st Finals), Scott Foster (18th Finals), John Goble (9th Finals), David Guthrie (8th Finals), Ben Taylor (1st Finals), Josh Tiven (6th Finals), James Williams (5th Finals), Sean Wright (2nd Finals), Zach Zarba (12th Finals)
Tim Bontemps: Tom Thibodeau just campaigned for Jalen Brunson to get more 50-50 calls. Referring to the play that didn’t get overturned in Game 3, he said he’s seen a lot of charges in his time in the league and was clearly upset that one didn’t get overturned.
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In Game 4 of the series, LeBron James fell victim to Sony’s new Hawk Eye camera technology when officials reviewed a call at the basket and ultimately tagged him with a foul. It was one of several first-round calls that were overturned as a result of referees’ use of Hawk Eye technology. “There was a piece of camera work in the postseason, of our game in Minnesota, that I have never seen in my f*cking life,” James recalled on Mind the Game this week. “Where the f*ck did that camera come from?”
Clemente Almanza: Mark Daigneault: “We can’t control the officiating. We can adjust to the officiating. As long as it's consistent, we'll adjust to it, and we'll play inside the boundaries of it. The other night, the officiating was consistent. That wasn't that had nothing to do with the outcome of the game.”
Because of a conversation that started in 2013. At that competition committee meeting, the league wanted to modernize refereeing, to open the door to new ways of getting these calls right, to addressing the problem that everyone with a DVR knew more about what was happening on the floor than the referees. There were many technology advances to discuss. We could know with perfect accuracy if the ball had been out of bounds or not, thanks to something kinda like baseball’s automated strike zone. We could know if the ball was blocked on its way up and was therefore a legal block, or past its apex and was then a goaltend. And, most amazingly, we could let the replay center handle the iffy calls, and pipe the results quickly to the arena and broadcast, just like tennis broadcasts showing whether or not the serve touched the line.
In other words, every member was locked in the uber-competitive death match of trying to win NBA titles, and no one had a job wherein mattered much to be accurate, tell the truth, or make fans believe in the game. What I’ve heard from almost everyone who has ever been a meeting of that committee is that it’s where good ideas go to die. It’s how the league wants to improve itself, and as a committee it doesn’t give a crap about improving.
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