NBA referee Bill Kennedy. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

NBA referee Bill Kennedy leaves the court in a wheelchair after injury

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Jan 9, 2026 10:35 PM ET

One of the Internet’s favorite referees suffered a mishap during Friday’s game.

Veteran NBA referee Bill Kennedy was part of the crew for Friday’s matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. During the first quarter of the contest, Kennedy was trying to follow along with a play in transition by the 76ers when he appeared to pull up lame.

Kennedy immediately called for a stoppage in play. He was then taken off the court in a wheelchair.

Here is the video.

Bill Kennedy suffered an injury and was wheeled off the court pic.twitter.com/232lH3qoIl
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 10, 2026

The 60-year-old Kennedy is in his 26th career season as an NBA referee. He has worked over 1,400 games over the years, including over 130 playoff games.

Kennedy has also become a viral favorite over the last couple of years due to his extremely entertaining and theatrical deliveries while announcing the results of coach’s challenges. Take a look at one example.

another night, another Bill Kennedy announcement!pic.twitter.com/hJd1n1FR8C
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 31, 2025

For Kennedy though, he has been producing these kinds of antics for over a decade now. But now the NBA world will be holding its collective breath that the apparent injury that Kennedy suffered on Friday is not a serious one.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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