NBA official Jason Phillips promoted to oversee league replay center next season
After spending nearly two decades on the floor, NBA official Jason Phillips will be making the move to the replay center next season.
Phillips, a 19-year veteran in the league, was promoted on Friday to run the NBA’s replay center, the league announced. Phillips will replace Joe Borgia, who will now oversee the league’s new in-game challenge — a new rule the league announced earlier this week.
“We see this as a win-win and part of our leadership succession process,” NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell said, via ESPN. “The coaches' challenge a significant initiative and we can have Joe focus on that while he helps Jason with the transition. Joe brings a lot of experience and knowledge and there will be some sticky scenarios with the coaches' challenge.”
The NBA announced that it is expanding its replay system for next season, and will allow its replay center to trigger instant replays to determine if a field goal was worth two or three points and if a shot was taken before the clock expires. Those changes, Spruell said, should “improve game flow and provide real-time awareness of any adjustments to the score.”
Phillips will run that replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey, while Borgia will focus on in-game challenges — something coaches can use once per game to challenge fouls, goaltending or out of bounds calls.
Phillips has officiated eight NBA Finals throughout his career in the league, including two games in the NBA Finals last season. He has worked more than 1,100 games and nearly 100 playoff games, too. He is the second veteran official to move to an administrative role in recent years.
Phillips has spent time in the NBA replay center before, having spent most of the 2017-18 season with Borgia in the center while recovering from an injury.
“After 19 years of experiencing NBA excitement on the court with the best officials in the world, I look forward to the new challenge of heading up the NBA Replay Center and working alongside the great people who help support our game on a daily basis,” Phillips said.
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