Darell Garretson - Legacy

Legacy

As a referee, Garretson was credited for creating and heading the first union for NBA referees, known as the National Association of Basketball Referees, a predecessor to the present day NBRA.

Later when he became officiating supervisor, Garretson was an advocate for increasing the number of officials per NBA game from two to three, beginning with the 1988–89 NBA season. The addition of the third official allowed for better coverage of the court and also provided mentoring for younger officials with two more experienced officials.

Working in the NBA's front office, he also was involved with scouting prospective officials and providing instruction. He developed the concept of "refereeing the defense", a practice in which officials focus attention on a defensive player instead of watching the ball. He urged all officials to continue improving skills and achieving personal goals by focusing on every possible aspect. Former referee and current director of officiating, Ronnie Nunn said of Garretson, " was a guy who drilled into you to get plays right."

As an official and supervisor in the NBA, Garretson was the target of criticism by the media and notable officials including, Jake O'Donnell, Richie Powers, and Earl Strom. Critics of Garretson claimed that he developed the current generation of referees into "robots" by suppressing individual personality. On the court, Garretson was also known to minimize the amount of communication between himself and players and coaches, which was considered an unpopular approach among members of the media.