Table of Biography
Dick Bavetta is a retired professional basketball referee who was working in the NBA. From 1975, he had never wasted an allocated match and grasps the league record for most presided matches with 2,635.
Early Life
Richard William Bavetta’s birthdate is 10th December 1939 and his birthplace is New York City, US. As of now, he is 82 years old. The basketball referee’s nationality is American whereas his ethnicity is Caucasian.
Likewise, Dick Bavetta’s zodiac sign is Sagittarius and his age is eighty-two years old. His dad was one of the New York Police Department’s officers whereas his mom was a housewife.
Caption: Dick Bavetta some years ago (Source: New York Daily News)
Education
Regarding his education, he first went to the Power Memorial Academy and then to St. Francis College. He was playing on the school’s basketball teams and graduating in 1962.
Bavetta completed his MBA from the New York Institute of Finance. He started following his brother, Joe who was in the American Basketball Association. Then, he started officiating competitions between other brokers in the Wall Street League.
It happened at New York’s Downtown Athletic Club, after which he was involved in high school matches. He presided over the Public and Catholic High School leagues for 10 years.
After 9 years, he got into the Eastern Professional Basketball League which turned out to be the Continental Basketball Association.
Relationship Status
Dick Bavetta is presently in a happy marital relationship with his long-term girlfriend, Paulette Bavetta. Their wedding took place privately in the presence of their close friends, relatives, and family.
In addition, they are the proud parents of their 2 beautiful daughters, Christine and Michele. His love for his daughters made him start doing charities for marginalized youths.
Caption: Dick Bavetta with his wife (Source: Bio Gossip)
Controversies
Other than this, the athlete has been a part of some controversies after having been in frequent fights with Earl Strom and being accused of game-fixing by Tim Donaghy.
Career and Professional Life
Dick Bavetta started attending regional referee trials in the mid-1960s, aiming to be an NBA referee. Unfortunately, he did not make it for straight 8 years because of his small figure and unimpressive size.
In 1975, the NBA was finally appointed after Mendy Rudolph’s retirement. On 2nd December 1975, he made his first presence in an NBA match between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
His initial 10 years in the league were rough as he was continually placed bottom while evaluating perforToorder to improve his performance, he refereed matches for the NewPro Leagueo league and Rucker League in Harlem at the time of the off-seasons and read NBA instructions.
He turned out to be the 1st referee to go through severe physical preparation in 1983. The referee eventually became one of the best referees. In the 1980s, he became the chief referee and was assigned to manage his 1st playoff match in 1986.
His notable match occurred between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics in the 1980s. Bavetta was forced to manage an NBA match after Jack Madden, broke his leg in an accident with Celtics guard Dennis Johnson.
From 1990-2000, he refereed playoff matches every day and became one of the highest-paid referees in the NBA in 2000. His career got into trouble when he hurt his nose accidentally by Pacers forward Jalen Rose.
However, the referee didn’t leave the match right away but was waiting to have surgery later the same day. The following day, he got back to manage an Atlanta Hawks-New Jersey Nets match.
More
The referee managed his 2,135th NBA match, setting a league record for most matches overseen on 8th February 2006. On 16th December 2006, he oversaw a match between the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets.
The match included a brawl where all 10 players on the court were ejected by Dick and his overseeing team. Then, the league suspended 7 players for an entire forty-seven matches and charged both squads $500,000.
After thirty-nine years of overseeing the NBA, he formally retired on 19th August 2014. Richard managed 2,635 straight everyday season matches. On 1st June 2000, he was inaugurated into the New York City Catholic High School Hall of Fame.
In addition to his professional career, Dick has received several awards and honors as well. On 14th October 2002, he earned the National Pro-Am Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2015, the American referee was present in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Moreover, he received the Jerry Colangelo Award in 2016 at the Athletes in Action All-Star Breakfast.
Caption: Dick Bavetta inside the court (Source: Oregon Live)
Net Worth
Dick Bavetta has been making an impressive amount from his professional basketball Hefact, he has been one of the best NBA staff, having a good amount of income.
Dick Bavetta’s estimated net worth of around $11 million which includes all his wealth, property, and assets too. Likewise, the basketball player’s salary is 60,000 US Dollars. Moreover, none of his earnings come from outside of presiding matches in the organization.
Dick Bavetta – Body Measurements
As for his body measurement, the American basketball player has been in good physical health and figure. Dick Bavetta has a good height of 6 feet or 183 cm. Likewise, he has a suitable body weight of around 156 lb or 71 kg.
Similarly, the color of Dick’s eyes is brown and he has short brown hair as well. Even in his current old age, the basketball player has been doing everything to keep his health in stable condition. Furthermore, he has a fair complexion with a lean body structure.
Dick Bavetta – Social Media
Coming to the social media part, Dick Bavetta does not seem to be active on any social media platforms. So, it is for sure that American retired basketball player prefers to live a private life.
Dick Bavetta is from a group of celebrity sportsperson who has been keeping a low-key lifestyle. Even though the athlete is not active on any of the social media platforms, people know and mention him online moreTheret, there are some fan pages made for his memory. Furthermore, the NBA online page has mentioned him, uploading his image for a happy retirement.