Hi, I'm Dave Ice, founder of StoryCorps.

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Growing up in Brooklyn, Marat Kogut spent his whole childhood wanting to be on an

NBA court.

Most kids grow up dreaming that they could hit the game-winning shot of a championship game,

but I was the one that said I want to be the referee the blows of

whistles and says the basket was successful it was weird.

You really got to love being a ref because you're going to get a lot of hate.

But love them or hate them. They are essential to the game.

Being a player sometimes you have to sit on the bench but when you're a referee

you're just in it. That was cool for me.

Murat realized his dream and just a couple seasons into his career as a ref.

He came to Storycourt with his dad, Barbara owner, Leon Kogit.

When he told me, someday you're going to be an NBA referee?

I said, yeah, of course.

You were always supportive, no matter what I said,

if I told I wanted to be a ballet dancer he would say oh good but mom was

totally against it she wants to see you as a doctor as a lawyer you know her main

concern was to marry me off who's going to take a guy like that and who's going to be a

...