Sid Borgia was a professional basketball referee

Official (basketball)

In basketball, an official is a person who has the responsibility to enforce the rules and maintain the order of the game. The title of official also applies to the scorers and timekeepers, as well as other personnel that have an active task in maintaining the game...

 in the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 (NBA) from 1946 to 1964 and later was the league's supervisor of officials from 1964 to 1966. Borgia also served as chief of officials in the American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

.

Borgia was considered one of the best referees of his era along with Mendy Rudolph

Mendy Rudolph

Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph was a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association for 22 years, from 1953 to 1975. Regarded as one of the greatest officials in NBA history, Rudolph officiated 2,112 NBA games and was the first league referee to work 2,000 games...

, Norm Drucker

Norm Drucker

Norm Drucker was a major influence in professional basketball officiating for over thirty-five years.He refereed in the National Basketball Association from 1953 to 1969...

, and Earl Strom

Earl Strom

Earl "Yogi" Strom was a professional basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association and for three years in the American Basketball Association . Strom is credited as the greatest referee in the history of the NBA and was known for his flamboyant style and ability to...

. Borgia is known for saying "Yes! And it counts" during basketball games when a player is fouled and scores a basket in the process. This phrase is used by sports play-by-play announcer Marv Albert

Marv Albert

Marv Albert is an American television and radio sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called...

, which has become one of the most famous broadcasting calls in basketball.

Borgia's officiating career ended with the NBA as a result of the influence team owners had in the decisions made by the league in its early years. Towards the end of the 1963-64 NBA season

1963-64 NBA season

The 1963–64 NBA season was the 18th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 6th straight NBA Championship, beating the San Francisco Warriors 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals....

, the St. Louis Hawks were playing for a division title, and late in a game, Borgia ejected star player Bob Pettit

Bob Pettit

Robert Lee "Bob" Pettit Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks . He was the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970...

 after complaining about a personal foul call. Hawks team owner Ben Kerner demanded that Borgia be fired and Borgia never officiated another NBA game.

Sid Borgia was married for 54 years and had five children, two of whom also became NBA referees.