Stardom eluded Wood, however. Some say he wasn't quite quick enough on defense and perhaps he lacked luck--that a run-and-gun team would have emphasized his talents and camouflaged his defensive liabilities. The term "journeyman" fits: Wood played pro ball for 10 years, including parts of six seasons with six different NBA teams. He also played in the minor league Continental Basketball Association in Europe and the Philippines.

After a decade in pro ball, Wood says, he figured he could have gutted out a few more seasons, but it was time to move on. He had never considered officiating until a friend who refereed high school games begged him to help out. "I kind of fell into it," he says. Wood, who was known for putting in long hours in the gym, dove into his newfound profession, often handling doubleheaders. He attended an officiating camp. Conveniently, when he was offered work in Florida officiating college games, he was able to stay with in-laws. The next stop was the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and then the NBA.

Officiating is a subtle, unappreciated art. Basketball is rich in judgment calls and the NBA is loaded with emotional players, coaches and fans. Bad calls are inevitable and tempers flare. The ref has to command respect and ensure the game runs smoothly. In a well-officiated game, Wood explains, nobody will even remember the refs. Players want to make SportsCenter. For a ref, making it onto television is a nightmare.

Woods' personality fit his new role. His mother, he says, instilled in him a sense of sportsmanship and respect for authority. "I never received a technical foul. Never." At Fullerton, Wood "was easily the most popular athlete on campus," recalls Mel Franks, the Titans' associate athletic director. "He attended virtually every home event for all sports." He even served as a linesman at volleyball matches and refereed intramural games.

He's still popular. In 1998, Wood was inducted to the Titan Hall of Fame and named Cal State Fullerton Man of the Year. Woods says he doesn't really understand why he was so honored, "but I've always been proud to represent Cal State Fullerton."

Eric Musselman, who coached Wood for the Rapid City Thrillers in the CBA, admits that "it's hard for me to yell at him because I have so much respect for him," Musselman recalls. "He was a great leader, a great communicator. He put team goals ahead of the personal, and that's not always the case in the minor league. He has a really good disposition for officiating, just the way he talks to the players."

Just about everywhere Wood travels, there is a coach, player, executive or radio color guy he knew from another life. One night when Wood was assigned to a Sacramento Kings home game, the Kings were honoring former star Mitch Richmond. Warriors executive Chris Mullin had come to salute Richmond, but there was a moment when he locked eyes with Leon Wood, his old teammate from the '84 Olympics. Without having to say a word, Mullin says, he and Leon just started laughing about something that happened 20 years ago.

The memories, Mullin says, aren't about winning a medal. It's about being a couple of overachieving gym rats--about camaraderie and friendship and the way Coach Bobby Knight used to scream. "We were a real team." Mullin says. "It wasn't an all-star team. We trained together for months, ate meals together. You really got to got to know each other." Seeing Leon Wood now, he says, "It just feels good."   

Those are the rare memories generated by the pure, unadulterated love of the game. And love may help explain why Wood figures he'd like to spend at least another decade as a ref, maybe work his way up to the NBA Finals.

This night, the Warriors beat the Knicks in a game pretty much devoid of controversy. A shove earned one player a technical foul--called by another ref, not Wood, who quickly put himself between the antagonists. Tempers cooled quickly, and only the players made SportsCenter. end

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