The NBA’s reviewing process just got an upgrade. In line with the league’s love for tech, a new rule goes into effect from November 1. This time’s it’s not player tracking or health monitoring wearables, nor it is improved training methods. This one’s got to do with the officiating, the same thing players have upped their complaints about. Starting from November, we’re going to see the referees sporting new headgear. The kind we only see the play-by-play commentators wear and who seem to notice more of the game than the refs standing on the floor.

The last time officiating saw a major upgrade in the NBA was in 2022. Fans have already noticed the referees are wearing new headsets since the start of the 2025-26 season. Who are they communicating with? And how is this helping them review the game? It’s going to take a while to find out and that’s a two-step process.

What Is the Purpose of the New Referee Headset System?

The NBA announced on October 31 that its referees will wear headsets going forward. These will allow them to communicate in real time with the NBA Replay Center and one another, beginning with games on November 1. The rollout is part of a planned two-phased approach.

The NBA and the National Basketball Referees Association are working together to use a new communication system to “improve game flow and enhance officiating accuracy,” per the NBA’s statement.

What this will do for the game flow is allow for reviewing plays as the game unfolds. Likely, with less pauses.

How Does the NBA Referee Headset System Work?

The headsets are the first phase in a new officiating change. Each referee will have an earpiece clipped on their uniform. The referees have headsets or clippable earpieces at hand but will wear/use it only during instant replay review and as needed during other stoppages, but not during live play.

The exact nitty-gritties of phase 1 aren’t fully clear yet. But it makes sense to take a technology that announcers use effectively and apply it to reviewing.

It would be phase 2 that really steps it. After an evaluation of the first phase, the second phase will begin in January. In that stage, the earpieces will be worn throughout the game, including during live play. At least starting from this phase, referees will be able to communicate directly with the Replay Center and each other during the game at all times. This phase will run through at least the NBA All-Star break in February and will probably be re-evaluated.

When Did the NBA Start Using Referee Headsets?

This is not a sudden implementation in the real thing. The NBA and refs association have been testing this at a smaller scale. That’s why fans noticed the referees’ new accessory at the 2024 and 2025 NBA preseason games, NBA Summer League from 2023-25 and the NBA G League Winter Showcase from 2022-24.

The experimentation apparently began right when the NBA also launched REPS, i.e. Referee Engagement and Performance System, in 2022. It’s an app the officiants use for performance evaluation, collaboration, training, and development, go through plays and access the management. The app was to ensure the referees’ decision-making was consistent across games. This app won several tech awards in 2022.

The app had helped referees improve their analysis and improve communication within the referee-coaching-scoring table ecosystem. Now it’s taking that principle into a real-time communication system. So next time you observe the ref clipping in their earpiece, watch out for the decision.