NBA referee Sha’Rae Mitchell suffers head injury in Hawks-Nets game

NBA official Sha’Rae Mitchell went down hard during Thursday night’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets after she ran into a camera operator and appeared to injure her head in the collision. 

Mitchell, who is in her first season as an NBA staff official, was jogging full speed along the court with just over eight minutes left in the game when she took a hard fall to the ground after running into a camera operator, who appeared to be filming the crowd courtside during play. 

Referee Sha’Rae Mitchell (98) signals during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 12, 2026. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

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The game was stopped as Mitchell appeared to grab the back of her head, bent over in obvious pain. 

She walked off the court and sat down, continuing to grab at her head. 

Referee Sha’Rae Mitchell holds her head after a collision during the fourth quarter of the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 12, 2026. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

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Mitchell reportedly returned to the game as Jalen Johnson recorded 21 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help the Hawks extend the NBA’s longest current winning streak to eight games with a 108-97 victory over the Nets.

The 40-year-old referee joined the league officially this season after previously officiating 11 regular-season games as a non-staff official during the 2022-23 NBA season and four games during the 2021-22 season. 

Rapper and entertainer Boosie Badazz reacts after watching referee Sha’Rae Mitchell (98) fall to the floor following a collision during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 12, 2026. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

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Mitchell was a standout women’s college basketball player at UC Santa Barbara before she served on coaching staffs at Stanford University, UCLA and Coastal Carolina University. She then moved to officiating college basketball for several years before making her debut at the pro level.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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