Longtime NBA Referee Tony Brown Dies of Cancer at Age 55

The NBA announced on Thursday that longtime NBA referee Tony Brown died after a stint with pancreatic cancer. He was 55.

"We are and have been sustained by the consistent outpouring of love and support through this journey in developing strength, acceptance and peace," his wife, Tina, said in a statement. "We ask that you join us in that spirit as we prepare to celebrate Tony’s life."

Brown officiated 1,071 regular-season games, 35 playoff games, two All-Star Games and appeared in the 2020 NBA Finals. After being diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in 2021, he returned to officiating in the replay center during the 2021-22 season.

"I haven't had time to sit around and be like 'Why me?' or 'What am I going to do?'" he told the Associated Press in Nov. 2021 (h/t ESPN). "Me not fighting would have made me feel like I was letting people down. What kind of example was I going to be to my kids if I just laid in this bed and let it overtake me? I had to show my kids that there's nothing in life that you can't challenge and overcome if you have a positive mindset."

Earlier in October, his friends and family—in partnership with Clark Atlanta University and its alumni—began a fundraising campaign to raise money for a basketball endowment at the school.

"He's a great guy and he’s a great mentor," Tina Brown told Fox 5 Atlanta last week. "For all of those who mentored, his whole point is to mentor others."

"This dude here is nothing short of amazing," she added of her husband during his time with cancer. "He just decided he was going to be positive, and that we are going to win. Even in the hospice unit he is cracking jokes."