Why there are so few candidates for this one basketball game job? From being a coach to GM, every job in this sport is highly lucrative and prestigious. But apparently, this job of an NBA official isn’t popular among some players. Very few such as former NBA player Smush Parker have an ambition to be among the only three players to claim this revered position. What is the reason?

Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair revealed his opinion on this matter during his interview with DJ Vlad. He spoke about the role of an NBA official being similar to a police job. “Well, that it’s only been 4,500 plays to ever play in a league this whole existence. I understand that maybe it’s only been a 100 guys try…I think it’s the overall narrative of being a ref is like kind of like police,” Telfair said, via VLAD TV. However, Telfair wished all the best to Parker.

Well, NBA players’ banter with the officials is well-known to the players. LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and many more players were seen getting into a heated debate with the refs. Recently, the case of poor officiating has also been an issue in the league.

The wrong calls revealed by the NBA’s Officiating Last Two Minute Reports don’t seem to help much. Furthermore, there are several controversies regarding NBA officials and players’ personal beefs. Despite these reasons, Parker was inspired to take up the job of an official.

Smush Parker to become the fourth NBA player to turn into an official?

In a conversation with DJ Vlad, Parker revealed how poor officiating resulted in him taking the brunt of most of the fouls. Well, this is one of his initial inspirations to begin exploring opportunities in this field. During the conversation, he detailed how in order to let the star players be, certain calls were not made.

Speaking of his own experience, Parker said that he had to take up most of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant‘s fouls as the officials ensured to keep the star players on the court for the maximum time. He wanted to create an unbiased space providing equal opportunities for the players.

As one can imagine, officiating in a basketball game is tough. After Haywoode Workman, Bernie Fryer, and Leon Wood, he plans to become the fourth NBA player to transition to an NBA official. While initially Parker wasn’t fond of the refs, his interests have changed, and definitely for the better.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.