The officiating crew has been announced for Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. James Capers will be the crew chief, joined by Josh Tiven and Sean Wright. Notably absent from the list is veteran referee Scott Foster. The Thunder and Pacers are set to face off at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, June 22, with tip-off scheduled for 8:00 PM ET, broadcast on ABC.
For Capers, Tiven and Wright, this marks their first Game 7 assignment in the NBA Finals, making them the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th referees in NBA history to achieve this milestone. While it's their first time officiating a Game 7, all three have already officiated in this series. Capers worked Indiana's Game 3 win, while Wright and Tiven were on the crew for Oklahoma City's Game 4 victory. James Williams has been assigned as the alternate official, and David Guthrie will be at the replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey.
The selection of Capers, Tiven, and Wright also means that Scott Foster, a two-time Game 7 Finals referee, will not be participating in the game. Foster has officiated 18 NBA Finals series and 26 Finals games in his career. Some expected Foster to be chosen and even serve as the crew chief for Game 7. He was the crew chief for Game 4.
The absence of Foster has sparked discussion, especially given Pacers coach Rick Carlisle's strong defense of the veteran official. Following Game 4, which Foster officiated and the Pacers lost, Carlisle voiced his disapproval of the criticism directed at Foster. He stated, "I've known Scott Foster for 30 years. He is a great official. He has done a great job in these playoffs... The ridiculous scrutiny that is being thrown out there is terrible and unfair and unjust and stupid.”
Capers has officiated 1,556 regular-season games over his 28 seasons as an NBA official, along with 178 playoff games, including 14 NBA Finals games. He was also a referee at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas. Tiven is working his sixth NBA Finals, while this is Wright's second appearance in the Finals.
Interestingly, the Indiana Pacers have not lost a game with James Capers as a referee this season, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are undefeated when Sean Wright is officiating. Josh Tiven, however, has seemingly been a tougher presence for both teams, having officiated in two of OKC's seven losses and three of Indiana's seven losses this postseason. Capers record with the Pacers is 4-0, while Tiven is 1-3, and Wright is 2-2. For the Thunder, Capers is 3-1, Tiven is 3-2, and Wright is 2-0. This is also the first time that Capers, Tiven, and Wright have officiated a game together during the postseason.
The 2025 NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers has been a closely contested series, with the Thunder having a slight edge in total points scored through the first six games (662-655).
