Tony Brothers has officiated 1,690 regular-season games in 29 seasons as an NBA staff official. He has also refereed 187 playoff games, including 16 NBA Finals games. Brothers’ assignments have also included the 1999 McDonald’s Championship in Italy and the 2008 China Games.

Before joining the NBA, Brothers spent four years officiating in the Continental Basketball Association, including three Finals and an All-Star Game. Brothers also has seven years of high school officiating experience in his home state of Virginia and one year of service at the junior college level.

To honor his late mother, Dorothy Brothers, a former Bank of America executive, Brothers co-founded the Still Hope Foundation, which seeks to assist single mothers in building a strong, successful family unit by offering quality resources and supportive relationships. In 2015, he founded Men for Hope, Inc., a non-profit to support men, organize their effort in the community, and work with organizations providing services for women and their families. As another recognition of his mother, Brothers named the auditorium in Norfolk State University's Student Center in her honor: The Dorothy B Brothers Auditorium. A graduate of Old Dominion University, Brothers is a recipient of ODU's Distinguished Alumni Award.

Brothers attended Old Dominion University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and management information systems.