Biography.guide
Home › People › Referee › Jess Kersey
Portrait of Jess Kersey

Jess Kersey

1941 – 2017

American basketball referee

RefereeBasketball official
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Jess Kersey

Lived 1941 – 2017 (aged 76). Jess Kersey was an American referee and basketball official.

Jesse Kersey (January 12, 1941 – April 22, 2017) was an American basketball referee who worked for the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association.

Born in Newport News, Virginia, Kersey attended Thomas Nelson Community College.

In July 1997, Kersey resigned from the NBA after 24 seasons as a referee after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Kersey returned to the NBA for the season and continued working games until the season. On April 10, 2007, Kersey was injured after Corey Maggette collided with him, and Kersey underwent hip replacement surgery the following year. Kersey was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Kersey died of cancer on April 22, 2017, in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the age of 76.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
12 January 1941, Newport News
Birth century
20th century
Died
22 April 2017, Williamsburg
Occupation
Referee, basketball official
Nationality
United States
Education
Thomas Nelson Community College
Positions held
NBA referee

People in Jess Kersey's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Portrait of Corey Maggette
Corey Maggette
b. 1979
Basketball player
 Portrait of Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson
1888 – 1954
Politician

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Jess Kersey's

Portrait of Alfred Tarski
Alfred Tarski
1901 – 1983
Mathematician
 Portrait of André Parrot
André Parrot
1901 – 1980
Anthropologist
 Portrait of Ivan Petrovsky
Ivan Petrovsky
1901 – 1973
Mathematician
 Portrait of Jakub Berman
Jakub Berman
1901 – 1984
Politician
 Portrait of Louis Leprince-Ringuet
Louis Leprince-Ringuet
1901 – 2000
Physicist
 Portrait of Mark Oliphant
Mark Oliphant
1901 – 2000
Physicist

Frequently asked questions

Who was Jess Kersey?

American basketball referee (1941-2017)

When was Jess Kersey born?

Jess Kersey was born on 12 January 1941 in Newport News.

When did Jess Kersey die?

Jess Kersey died on 22 April 2017 in Williamsburg.

What was Jess Kersey's occupation?

Jess Kersey was a referee and basketball official.

What nationality was Jess Kersey?

Jess Kersey was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Jess Kersey

· Wikidata: Q6185952

· DBpedia: Jess Kersey

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jess Kersey. https://biography.guide/jess-kersey/

MLA: "Jess Kersey." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jess-kersey/.

Chicago: "Jess Kersey." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jess-kersey/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:29 UTC