Local native Hubert Evans was NBA officiating pioneer

Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·2 min read

Jul. 23—Hubert "Hugh" Evans, a gifted athlete who was born and raised near the Tazewell County-McDowell County line, made his most lasting mark in sports not as a player but as a professional basketball official.

Evans, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2022, died on July 8 at the age of 81. But he left behind an impressive legacy and an inspiring story of small town talent achieving big-city greatness.

After a completing a 20-game slate in 1972, Evans went on to become the third African American full-time referee in the National Basketball Association and first African American ref to work a playoff game past the first round.

Evans spent 25 seasons on the floor, a stint which included 170 playoff games, 34 finals and four All-Star games. He spent three years as assistant supervisor of NBA officials.

Evans was born in the community of Squire on the West Virginia side of the state line but spent his formative years in Bishop, Va. At the age of 15 his family moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., where his enrollment in Boys High School — a city hoops powerhouse — led to accolades as a basketball player. He earned a scholarship at North Carolina A&T, where he is also enshrined as a member of that school's sports hall of fame.

In 1963 Evans was drafted by the old St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball League but instead signed a baseball contract with the San Francisco Giants organization.

Evans spent three years as a first baseman and catcher in the minors before returning to NYC to become a social worker at the East Side House Settlement.

Basketball officials were in short supply for the financially strapped youth programs in the neighborhood so Evans took the referee exam and became certified. Shortly thereafter joining the Sports United Brooklyn Officials association.

After rising through the ranks to become a Rucker League official, Evans attended a Mike Di Tomasso camp for officials in hopes of becoming certified as a college basketball official. Di Tomasso advised that Evans skip college officiating and seek a position at the professional level. He began in the NBA Easterm League, from where he received his call to move up to the highest level of NBA officiating.

Over the course of his NBA officiating career, Evans earned the Rucker Pro Legends Community Service Award, a lifetime achievement award from the West Virginia State Sports Hall of Fame and was also named to the New York City basketball Hall of Fame.