Mendy Rudolph was one of the NBA's most respected game officials. According to Abdul-Jabbar, Mendy "was one of those refs who had earned the respect of all the players, coaches and executives in the NBA". Mendy represents the game officials who are not convinced that use of video instant replay needs to be increased. Although his opinion may seem out dated, when he was officiating basketball went from instant replay not existing to instant replay being the newest and most technological aspect of athletics. Mendy valued athletic tradition and respect for the calls that have been made by the game official.