NBA Referee Profile
Don Vaden
Don Vaden has worked 851 NBA games, and his numbers carry a clear signature bettors should track. His personal foul rate sits 1.5% above league average at 46.1 per game — Vaden reads a tight game and blows the whistle. That translates directly to the free throw line, where he generates 53.8 attempts per game, running 1.7% hotter than league norms. When Vaden is on the floor, pace slows, foul trouble is real, and teams that can't stay out of the penalty pay for it. Totals bettors need to account for the free throw inflation — those extra trips to the line add possessions and points that don't show up in tempo-based projections. His home team win rate of 61.6% is the other number worth flagging. That's a meaningful lean toward the home side, suggesting home-court advantage gets amplified under his calls. Back home favorites, and fade road teams getting thin numbers when Vaden is assigned.
Career stats
Games officiated
851
Personal fouls / g
46.1
+1.5% vs league
Free throw attempts / g
53.8
+1.7% vs league
Combined points / g
202.0
+0.2% vs league
Home vs visitor
Home teams win 61.6% of games officiated by Don. That's well above the league's ~57% home-court baseline — a signal his crews lean home when the game is close.
Recent seasons
| Season | Games | PF/g | FTA/g | PTS/g | Home W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | 49 | 45.8 | 50.2 | 189.0 | 69.4% |
| 2001-02 | 59 | 46.2 | 52.1 | 191.2 | 57.6% |
| 2000-01 | 62 | 44.9 | 50.1 | 188.7 | 62.9% |
Top team splits
Teams Don has officiated the most, and how those franchises have fared under him.
| Team | Games | W-L | W% | Pace | PTS/g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYK | 28 | 13-15 | 46.4% | 88.6 | 91.9 |
| MIN | 27 | 11-16 | 40.7% | 90.4 | 96.4 |
| ORL | 27 | 20-7 | 74.1% | 91.3 | 100.1 |
| ATL | 27 | 11-16 | 40.7% | 88.9 | 91.8 |
| DAL | 27 | 15-12 | 55.6% | 93.9 | 105.4 |
| IND | 27 | 11-16 | 40.7% | 89.9 | 94.2 |
| DEN | 26 | 8-18 | 30.8% | 92.9 | 93.9 |
| BOS | 26 | 16-10 | 61.5% | 93.3 | 97.7 |
| GSW | 26 | 8-18 | 30.8% | 93.3 | 94.6 |
| POR | 26 | 16-10 | 61.5% | 89.6 | 94.7 |
| DET | 25 | 12-13 | 48.0% | 89.3 | 93.8 |
| SAC | 25 | 15-10 | 60.0% | 94.4 | 99.7 |
| MEM | 24 | 7-17 | 29.2% | 89.7 | 92.0 |
| SAS | 23 | 14-9 | 60.9% | 90.3 | 96.6 |
| HOU | 23 | 13-10 | 56.5% | 91.9 | 97.9 |
| TOR | 23 | 11-12 | 47.8% | 90.7 | 93.2 |
| CLE | 22 | 10-12 | 45.5% | 92.1 | 97.9 |
| PHO | 21 | 11-10 | 52.4% | 90.6 | 92.1 |
| LAL | 20 | 10-10 | 50.0% | 93.0 | 97.9 |
| CHA | — | — | — | — | — |