Basketball Rules: Referee Interference & the 'White Ball' Call

Question
Team Blue down by 3 points, had possession of the ball, 12 seconds on clock. Inbound play worked perfectly, great ball movement, last pass was to the corner for 3 point shot but referee stepped in front of the pass and the ball went out of bounds. With only 6 seconds on the clock he announced "white ball." White ended up winning the game by 3. I wondered if that was the correct call and what rule states or backs up that call?

Answer
April,

That is a very unfortunate accident at such a crucial point in the game. It sounds like the official was out of position. However, the Official is part of the game and if a ball inadvertently hit the official and then went out of bounds, he made the right call. Since Team Blue was the last to touch the ball before it went out of bounds, even though it hit the official, he has no choice but to award possession to the White team.   

Thank you for your question.