Richard Jefferson Clings to ESPN Job, Refuses to Turn “Psycho” for $550,000 Salary

Sitting at a net worth of $40 million, Richard Jefferson is in no mood to cut down his earnings. Notably, even after more than half a decade of his retirement, Jeff has continued earning decent money as an analyst. But what if his career trajectory was different after he retired from the league?

Appearing on ‘The Bench Seat’, Jefferson was asked if there was a time when he wanted to be a ref. “They don’t make enough money. They don’t pay. Make enough money. And that’s no disrespect. They make a very good living. But I like my current job,” he replied. As per a ‘Boardroom’ article, seasoned or professional referees make up to $3,500 per game or up to $550,000 annually. And if Richard was to join in at an entry-level, he would make $600 per game or roughly $250,000 per year.

Along the same lines, a discussion emerged about Smush Parker attempting to make it as an NBA ref. Podcast co-host, Kevin Spies, stated Parker acts as a ref in his corporate games in New York City and wants to be the first NBA player who become a ref. However, Richard Jefferson highlighted that there have been players like Bernie Fryer, Leon Wood, and Haywoode Workman who have already done this. However, the transition is difficult, as admitted by Smush himself.

In an interview with Sporting News, Parker stated it’s a harder journey to make it to the NBA as a referee than as a player. And Jefferson also seems to be in agreement with just the difficulty part of the statement. “It’s hard work… People don’t understand those dudes are psycho. Like, they have to have that mindset of, like, what I’m looking at my job, how I call…,” Jeff said on the podcast.

A quick look at Richard Jefferson’s broadcasting career

It is worth mentioning Jeff’s opinion and respect for refereeing does not come without any experience. Notably, he officiated the second quarter of the Knicks–Blazers game at the 2022 NBA Summer League. But, as stated by the NBA champ, he agreed only because of the respect he has for the profession.

Despite this tremendous amount of respect, Jefferson is in no mood to give up his $2.5 million of annual earnings as an ESPN analyst. The former New Jersey Nets star (now Brooklyn Nets) started his broadcasting career as Nets’ game and studio analyst for YES Network. Apart from this, Jeff was also involved in stints as an analyst on FS1 and the Pac-12 Network.

However, the major milestone in this direction came with him joining ESPN in 2019 as an NBA analyst. While he is already earning decently, with the possibility of Stephen A. Smith becoming ESPN’s first $100 million man, the scope of earnings is far greater in this profession. So it’s obvious why Richard Jefferson would want to stick to it rather than even considering refereeing.