NBA referee and crew chief Tony Brothers got injured in the Chicago Bulls vs Minnesota Timberwolves match. It is reported that Tony Brothers may have suffered a possible Achilles injury in the match.NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported the news from the Bulls’ television broadcast. He wrote on X (previously Twitter):
“Crew chief Tony Brothers left this game with what our broadcast said could be an Achilles injury. Two officials working this game.”
Crew chief Tony Brothers left this game with what our broadcast said could be an Achilles injury. Two officials working this game.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 7, 2024
Tony Brothers suffers season-ending injury
Brothers suffered an Achilles injury in the middle of the third quarter which forced him to leave the game. Brothers got injured after the Timberwolves unsuccessfully challenged an Anthony Edwards shooting foul on Bulls star DeMar DeRozan.
The remainder of the game was associated with CJ Washington and Che Flores. Brothers is a referee with tons of experience as he is in his 30th year as an NBA official, he has officiated 16 NBA final games and 187 playoff games in his career which spanned more than three decades. Tony Brothers officiated his first NBA final game in 2012 when Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder got defeated by LeBron James’s Miami Heat.
The Chicago Bulls vs Minnesota Timberwolves match in which Brothers got injured ended in a 129-123 victory for the Bulls. Chicago Bulls pulled off a wild finish against the Timberwolves as they overcame a 23-point deficit to force overtime before earning the six-point win.
DeMar DeRozan and Coby White were brilliant against the Timberwolves as they produced 33 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 33 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds respectively. Timberwolves stars Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns had put in decent efforts but still their team fell short by just six points.
Fans were astonished to see a referee get injured during an NBA game as it is a rare sight.
“Bro refs getting season-ending injury’s too wtf” one fan commented.
“Isnt there typically an “alternate” commented official for these types of situations?” another added.
“Damn Tony Brothers might miss out on the 65 game requirement for MVP now.” one Twitter user commented.