NBA players who switched to refereeing

Few professions are vilified in the same way basketball refs are. Given that a lot of the flak actually comes from the players themselves, it's hardly an attractive job for most of us – let alone an ex-player!

Who would have thought that a few have made the shocking switch throughout history?

Former NBA player Smush Parker recently created shockwaves in the sport when he announced on Twitter that he was intending to return to the NBA... but this time as an official!

The tweet stated, "There have only been three former NBA athletes to make the journey back into the NBA as an official. I'm working on being the fourth..!!!"

Picture - Instagram @smush_parker_elite

Parker had below par NBA career, playing in the league between 2004 and 2008 and having brief spells with five teams such as the LA Lakers and the Miami Heat.

Let's look back at some of the trailblazers who were the first to make the switch from playing to officiating.

Former Olympic gold medallist Leon Woods started his NBA career in 1984 after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. Woods played six years in the NBA before moving to play in the CBA in 1991.

After retiring from professional basketball in 1994, Woods wanted to stay involved in basketball and decided to get into officiating after a friend suggested it.

According to basketball-reference.com, since refereeing his first NBA game in the 1995-96 season, Leon Woods has refereed over 1500 games in the NBA and continues to do so to this day.

According to NBA.com, Haywoode Workman played 359 regular season NBA games over a ten-year career at basketball's pinnacle.

According to NBA.com, after retiring at the start of the century, former NBA referee Bob Delaney suggested that Workman should look into refereeing. He proceeded to start officiating West Coast pro-am games.

Once Workman started officiating pro-am games, his refereeing career really took off. He refereed 15 games in the CBA and was then eventually selected as a permanent NBA official in 2008 where he officiated 642 games, according to basketball-reference.com.

The first referee to make the switch from player to official was Bernie Fryer. Once drafted in the 1972 NBA draft, Fryer only went on to play three seasons as a professional player.

After retiring in 1975, Fryer embarked on a legendary officiating career that spanned over three decades in the NBA – officiating 1806 NBA games, according to basketball-reference.com.

After retiring in 2007 after 29 years in the job, the legendary referee became director of officials in July 2008, and to this day, he still works as an advisor to the NBA.

According to NBC Sports, in 17 seasons playing in the NBA, Richard Jefferson was called for 2637 fouls in his career, 45 technical fouls, and ejected twice.

Prior to the start of the current NBA season, Jefferson officiated a Summer League game between the New York Knicks and the Portland Trailblazers.

According to NBC Sport, Jefferson said, "I didn't want to do this, the NBA asked me if I was interested. I like talking about the game of basketball so now I get a new opportunity to learn a whole new piece of the game."

With the scrutiny and heavy media coverage referee gets these days, will future NBA players be willing to make the jump from playing to officiating?