Former UCSB player Sha’Rae Mitchell gets NBA call-up as a referee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sha-Rae Mitchell wanted to work as a sports broadcaster but her job brings her much closer to the action than from behind a microphone.

Earlier this year Mitchell became the 15th woman in NBA history to referee a regular season game.

The UCSB alum has been a referee in the G-League since 2018 but she got the call-up to the NBA on January 1, 2022 to work the San Antonio-Detroit game.

The pandemic has left the NBA scrambling to not only find players to fill rosters but referees as well.

On Monday, January 10 the Sacramento native worked the Cleveland-Sacramento game and former UCSB star Kayte Christensen-Hunter is the Kings tv analyst.

UCSB fans will remember Mitchell as Sha'Rae Gibbons, a solid passing guard for the Gauchos from 2004-2009.