Roanoke native Curtis Blair has reached the pinnacle of NBA officiating.
The NBA announced Tuesday that Blair was among 12 referees selected to work the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, marking the first Finals assignment of his 18-year NBA officiating career. Blair is the only first-time selection among this year’s Finals officiating crew.
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“Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the highest honor for an NBA official,” NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell said in a statement announcing the selections. The league said officials were chosen based on their performance evaluations, including play-calling accuracy and postseason grades.
Blair, 55, told The Associated Press the selection was an emotional moment after years of narrowly missing a Finals assignment.
“Very emotional moment for me, because I’ve been right there on the doorstep for so many years,” Blair said. “This is my 18th year and one thing I had to realize going through this journey is that everybody has their own journey.”
A graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Blair was a standout basketball player before beginning his officiating career. He later starred at the University of Richmond, earning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year honors and helping the Spiders become the first No. 15 seed to defeat a No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament history with their upset of Syracuse in 1991.
Blair was selected by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1992 NBA Draft and played professionally overseas before turning to officiating. He joined the NBA staff in 2008 after working in the NBA G League and several collegiate conferences, including the ACC and Atlantic 10.
Blair has officiated more than 1,000 NBA regular-season games and has worked numerous playoff contests. He previously served as an alternate official for the NBA Finals in 2021 and 2022 before earning his first on-court Finals assignment this season.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for Wednesday night in San Antonio.