Bill Kennedy (referee)
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William Gene Kennedy (born November 10, 1966) is an American professional basketball referee for the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA). Kennedy graduated from St. Mary's High School in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
, and Arizona State University. He refereed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), refereeing the 1995 and 1996 CBA Finals. He began as an NBA referee during the 1995-96 NBA season. He has refereed five NBA Finals games, as well as the
2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...
s and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Kennedy ejected Boston Celtics'
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing for Marquette Universit ...
from a game on March 17, 2009. Rivers was fined $25,000 for remarks he made about Kennedy after the game, and Kennedy was fined an undisclosed amount for his handling of the situation. Rivers reportedly used a gay slur towards Kennedy during the
2009 NBA Playoffs The 2009 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orland ...
. In December 2015, Kennedy ejected
Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for ...
from a game, and Rondo used a gay slur towards Kennedy, which resulted in a one-game suspension for Rondo. Kennedy later revealed that he is gay.


References


External links


Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Bill Living people 1966 births National Basketball Association referees American LGBT sportspeople Sportspeople from Phoenix, Arizona Arizona State University alumni Gay sportsmen LGBT people from Arizona LGBT African Americans African-American sports officials Continental Basketball Association referees 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century LGBT people