Jess Kersey

Jesse "Jess" Kersey (January 12, 1941 – April 22, 2017) was an American basketball referee. He was born in Newport News, Virginia. He worked for the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association.
Kersey joined the NBA in 1973. During his 30 year career, he officiated 1,911 regular season games, 189 playoff games and 18 NBA Finals games.
In July 1997, Kersey resigned from the NBA after 24 seasons as a referee after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion.
Kersey died of cancer on April 22, 2017 in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the age of 76.