NBA blows whistle on Henderson; officials protest

To protest Henderson’s suspension, all of the NBA officials turned their jerseys inside-out during Friday night’s games and wore his No. 62 on the back.

The NBA said Henderson mistakenly blew the whistle signaling a shot-clock violation against Denver with 27.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Nuggets leading 111-109.

Replays indicated Andre Miller got his shot off before the 24-second clock expired and that the ball caromed off the bottom of the rim. Carmelo Anthony grabbed the rebound for Denver, which should have been awarded a new shot clock.

However, because of the errant whistle, the referees were forced to rule a jump ball at mid-court. The Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal won the tap and Los Angeles went on to win the game 112-111 when Kareem Rush drained a three- pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining.

"This was an unfortunate call at a highly critical point in the game, and we very much regret the error," said Stu Jackson, the NBA’s senior vice president of basketball operations.

The decision to suspend Henderson drew harsh criticism from the National Basketball Referees Association, which represents the NBA’s 59 officials.

The NBRA sent a letter Friday to Jackson in response to the action taken against Henderson.

"The NBA’s decision to place the referee on a three-game suspension for an error in judgment is unacceptable," said Lamell McMorris, spokesperson for the NBRA and president and CEO of Perennial Strategy Group, which is responsible for lead contract negotiations with the league on behalf of the referees. "This will have a chilling effect on a referee’s willingness to make close calls."

Henderson was also summoned to New York to meet with NBA officials without the NBRA being notified.

"The NBRA is not contesting the officiating error; rather the protocol, or lack thereof, followed by the league in notifying the association of its intended punishment and the unfairness of its decision," McMorris added.