Che Flores, the NBA’s initial openly nonbinary transgender referee, disclosed this information in an article released by GQ on Monday.
Flores is entering their second season as an NBA staff referee, after working 35 games last season. They also worked 12 games as a nonstaff official during the 2021-22 season.
“I cannot reword”
“They mentioned that they can navigate through the world and perform their job with much greater comfort.”
Several NBA executives have been aware of Flores’ identity for a few months. A number of Flores’ colleagues became aware when it was disclosed during preseason meetings last month.
Flores has worked games for about a decade in both the G League and the WNBA. They have been previously picked to work some of the biggest events in basketball – the G League Finals, the WNBA Finals and the NCAA women’s national championship game.
“I simply believe that it is important for young queer individuals to see someone on a prominent platform who is not exploiting it,” Flores explained to GQ. “I am not using the league for personal gain. My intention is solely to show young kids that we can thrive and achieve success in various ways.”
