NEW YORK – Mike Callahan, who retired as an NBA official following the 2018-19 campaign after having served on-court for 29 seasons, will join the NBA Referee Operations Department as NBA G League Training and Development Lead, it was announced today by NBA President of League Operations, Byron Spruell.

In his new role, Callahan will be responsible for the implementation, development and execution of the NBA G League referee educational curriculum. He will also oversee NBA G League referee staff evaluation and development, including the transition of top candidates to the WNBA and NBA.

“We are thrilled that Mike will be bringing his vast experience and teaching abilities to our NBA G League officials,” said Spruell. “He is the perfect mentor to develop our next generation of NBA G League referees for on-court success and growth in their own officiating careers.”

Known as “Duke,” Callahan officiated 1,626 regular-season games and 225 playoff games, including 21 Finals games. He concluded his stellar NBA career as the crew chief for Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

George Toliver, a former NBA official and member of NBA Referee Operations since 2004, will transition from NBA G League Lead to Candidate Development Lead where he will oversee the strategic priority of implementing programs to identify new officials for the NBA’s developmental pipeline.