Veteran NBA referee Bill Kennedy suffered an apparent injury and was taken off the court in a wheelchair during the 76ers’ 103-91 victory over the Magic in Orlando, Florida, on Friday night.
Kennedy, 59, appeared to suffer a non-contact leg injury while running across the floor during a 76ers fast break late in the first quarter of the game.
Replays showed him limping near the baseline and unable to continue with the pace of play, which has increased in the modern NBA.
After limping to the sideline, Kennedy called for help and was attended to by medical personnel.
The Magic called a timeout shortly after the injury and the arena training team evaluated him on the court for several minutes.
Unable to put weight on his leg, Kennedy was then led off the floor in a wheelchair and taken to the officials’ locker room, ending his night abruptly.
With Kennedy sidelined, the officiating crew for the remainder of the match was reduced to two officials, James Williams and Michael Smith.
Kennedy has been an NBA referee since 1996 and is widely respected throughout the league.
He has officiated more than 1,500 NBA games and also competed in events at the college and international basketball levels earlier in his career.
He has gained wider recognition on social media in recent years for his thorough explanations of coaches’ statements during broadcasts and ownership of the camera.
The 76ers then defeated the Magic in a statement road victory, with Philly holding Orlando to 12 points in the fourth quarter.
The Sixers were paced offensively by likely NBA All-Star Tyrese Maxey, who finished the night with 29 points and made eight of his last 12 field goal attempts.
#NBA #referee #left #wheelchair #injury