HOUSTON, Texas. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University athletics Hall of Famer Bob Delaney `85, who recently received the University's Presidential Medallion at its May 22 commencement ceremony, was center stage in the national spotlight on June 18 when he served as the referee for a nationally televised one-on-one charity basketball game between U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and comedian Jimmy Kimmel on ABC Television's Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The game and impromptu on-court interview was dubbed the "Blobfish Basketball Classic" and raised more than $80,000 for Texas Children's Hospital and Generation One.
To watch the televised, edited version of the event, visit: https://youtu.be/nKWLeJcPRSQ
"The 'Blobfish Basketball Classic' was a fun event filled with comic absurdity," laughed Delaney. "The game was another example of how basketball creates a common ground allowing different views to come together for the good of others, namely over $80,000 raised for the Texas Children's Hospital and Generation One charities."
"It was a pleasure to be a part of this historic, memorable athletic contest," Delaney joked.
Delaney, a legendary National Basketball Association (NBA) referee, stepped down this fall as the League's Vice President, Referee Operations and Director of Officials after a 30-year career with the League.
Delaney's remarkable life story transcends sports—from nearly three years as an undercover state trooper who infiltrated the world of New Jersey organized crime in the mid-1970s to that of an NBA Cares Ambassador who has drawn upon his own experiences with post-traumatic stress (PTS) to inspire United States veterans and active duty service members suffering from the effects of PTS.
Over the course of a 24-year distinguished officiating career from 1987-88 through 2010-11, Delaney emerged as one of the NBA's highest-rated crew chiefs, calling 1,526 regular season and 210 playoff games, including nine NBA Finals and the 1998 and 2011 NBA All-Star Game.
After hanging up his whistle, in 2012 Delaney transitioned to NBA Referee Operations management and later became Vice President, Referee Operations and Director of Officials for three seasons before retiring in November 2017.
Delaney continues to be a long-time NBA Cares Ambassador, promoting the NBA's partnership with the United States military as part of the League's mission of addressing important global social issues. Delaney conducts programming and interacts with veterans and active duty service members. He has been embedded with U.S. troops and NATO forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Europe, Canada, and at bases and posts across the United States.
His contributions to PTS awareness and support to military officials and their families have been recognized with honors and proclamations from many, including President Barack Obama and senior-ranking military leaders. Notably, in 2010, President Barack Obama conferred upon Delaney the President's Volunteer Service Award for his ongoing PTS education and awareness work with the military.
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