NBA referee Bill Kennedy was diagnosed with a hamstring strain and will be out indefinitely, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Haynes added “the hope” is Kennedy can return before the end of the regular season.
Kennedy was taken off the court of Friday night’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and host Orlando Magic in a wheelchair after suffering what appeared to be a non-contact right leg injury in the first quarter.
The remainder of the game was officiated by James Williams and Michael Smith.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said after the game he heard rumors Kennedy had suffered an Achilles injury, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones.
“Let’s hope it’s not that,” Nurse said, per Jones.
Kennedy, 59, is in his 26th season as an NBA referee. He has become known for his viral explanations of the results of coach’s challenges.
Kennedy’s flair for dramatic pauses before announcing results led to him receiving a compliment last week from Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
“Really just kind of wanted to hear Billy Kennedy,” Mazzulla said when asked about a late-game challenge on Jan. 1. “He does a great challenge, and we were gonna do it anyway, just to kind of hear him deliver the challenge.”
Kennedy had officiated 1,420 regular-season games and 139 playoff games, including six NBA Finals games, through 25 seasons heading into the 2025-26 campaign.