NBA referee Dick Bavetta, born and raised in Park Slope, will work his 2,633 consecutive game tonight at Madison Square Garden when the New York Knicks host the Brooklyn Nets.

That number should ring a bell for sports fans, as it will be one more than legendary Baltimore Orioles star Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,632-game streak in the MLB.

Bavetta has been called the “Cal Ripken Jr. of referees,” so it’s fitting that he will break that mark.

He began his career as a CHSAA referee in the Brooklyn Diocese. He was inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame and will be inducted into the Basketball Oldtimers of America Hall of Fame on May 2 at Bishop Ford H.S., Park Slope.

The following is from a Tablet “Good Sports” column on Bavetta from Feb. 29, 2012: https://thetablet.org/bavetta-72-continues-to-set-nba-record/