After more than a year battling pancreatic cancer, Tony Brown has died aged just 55, his family has announced. Adam Silver greeted one of “best referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues”.
Tony Brown made his illness public in May 2021, before returning six months later, thanks to good medical results, not on the court but in the “Replay Center”.
In his 19-year career in the league, he had led 1,109 regular season games and 35 playoffs. In 2020, in the “bubble”, he even had his first Finals and we had also seen him during the 2018 All-Star Game. The referee had also participated in WNBA meetings in the early 2000s, before to come to the NBA.
The NBA mourns the passing of longtime official Tony Brown after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. https://t.co/6wjQENj9co pic.twitter.com/zMF3Exfmyh
— NBA (@NBA) October 21, 2022
