The NBA officiating pipeline will send three more G League veterans onto the full-time staff in 2026-27, with Nate Cearley, Brent Haskill and Chelisa Painter earning NBA assignments after lengthy development runs below the league level.
New NBA officials at a glance
| Official | NBA non-staff games | G League experience | Notable background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nate Cearley | 8 in 2025-26 | 5 seasons, 234 games | G League playoff official in all five seasons; worked the 2026 Finals |
| Brent Haskill | 32 across five seasons | 8 seasons, 336 games | Worked the past four G League Finals |
| Chelisa Painter | 3 in 2025-26 | 5 seasons, 215 games | Seven years as an NCAA Division I referee |
Cearley, a Kansas native, moves up after working every G League postseason during his five-year stretch. His 2025-26 NBA exposure came in eight regular-season games as a non-staff official, while his G League schedule included the 2026 championship series.
Haskill brings the deepest G League résumé of the group. The Florida native has logged 336 games over eight seasons and has been assigned to each of the last four G League Finals. He also has experience in the Basketball Africa League and NBA Summer League, including the Summer League title game in Las Vegas in 2023, 2025 and 2026. His 32 NBA regular-season appearances came from 2021-22 through 2025-26.
Painter’s promotion raises the number of women on the league’s full-time officiating roster to nine. The Virginia native worked three NBA regular-season games last season after building her G League experience, including three playoff assignments, and spending seven years officiating at the Division I college level.
The other women on the 2026-27 full-time NBA officiating staff are Dannica Baroody, Simone Jelks, Sha’Rae Mitchell, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Jenna Reneau, Natalie Sago, Jenna Schroeder and Danielle Scott.
NBA referee operations executive Albert Sanders called the promotions the product of “years of work, commitment and high-level performance.” Monty McCutchen, who oversees referee development and training, said the three officials had shown strong growth in the G League and will continue to receive support in their next step.
Development work will continue in the G League
Cearley, Haskill and Painter will not leave the G League rotation entirely. They will continue to take G League assignments alongside their NBA schedules in 2026-27. That is standard development work for NBA officials with fewer than four years of league service, giving them opportunities to serve as crew chiefs and sharpen leadership responsibilities.
Opening night is set for Oct. 20
| Game | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons | 3 p.m. ET | Detroit |
| Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks | 7 p.m. ET | New York |
| Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs | 9:30 p.m. ET | Frost Bank Center |
The 2026-27 regular season opens Tuesday, Oct. 20, with an NBC and Peacock tripleheader. The defending champion Knicks will host Philadelphia in the middle game, following Boston’s visit to Detroit. San Antonio closes the opening-night slate against Oklahoma City at Frost Bank Center.
