Curtis Blair finally achieved a career milestone as he was selected to work the NBA Finals for the first time. The veteran NBA referee received the news after days of waiting anxiously for the league's announcement. Blair joins an elite group of 12 officials who will officiate the championship series starting Wednesday between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.

Blair's journey to the Finals spans 18 years as a referee, following a brief NBA playing career where he was a second-round pick by the Houston Rockets in 1992. After playing internationally, he began his refereeing career in 2008 and has worked more than 1,000 NBA games. This selection comes after years of being "on the doorstep" as he describes his career progression through the playoff rounds.

Scott Foster leads the Finals officiating crew with a record 19 NBA Finals to his name. Among the other experienced officials are Tony Brothers and Marc Davis (15th Finals each), James Capers (14th), and Zach Zarba (13th). Blair previously received two white warmup jackets as an alternate but considers this selection the "real one," making this achievement even more meaningful for the veteran referee who has waited years for this honor.