"Chris Paul was the biggest a**hole" - Former NBA referee labels 19-year veteran as toughest challenge on court
NBA referees have their hands full with players complaining about foul calls. They also have to police all of their savvy veteran moves and dramatic flopping. Pro players have created a pretty common habit of going at the officials. Some referees think the players even go too far at times.
Former referee Bill Spooner had some harsh words for a certain player, as he called out a basketball legend for his on-court behavior:
“I get asked all the time: ‘Who are some of the tough guys, some of the bad guys?’ And when I tell them that Chris Paul, in my 32 years in the league, was one of the biggest a–holes I ever dealt with, they say, ‘Not Rasheed Wallace … or da-da-da?’ Nope. Nothing like [Paul], And they are like, ‘Oh, he seems like such a nice guy.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, he’s a great image cultivator.'”
The former ref made the comments in an article on The Athletic about fellow NBA ref Scott Foster. Foster and Chris Paul have a famous rivalry. The two have made things personal and had their share of beef.
Chris Paul and NBA ref Scott Foster’s beef
Paul publicly criticizes Foster when he can. He had also lost 12 straight playoff games when Foster was officiating at one point in his career. Paul’s Phoenix Suns even won Game 2 of the 2021 Western Conference finals when he missed the game due to health and safety protocols. Foster was on the officiating crew that night. Foster was also on the crew when Paul and the Suns lost the 2021 NBA Finals in Game 6 to the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to NBA reporter Tom Haberstroh, Paul’s teams went 3-17 in playoff games officiated by Foster, despite being favored in 15 of those 20 games, losing by an average of 11.2 points.
Earlier this season Foster ejected Paul in the first half of the Suns versus Warriors game in November. Paul was thrown out after receiving a second technical foul for a verbal back-and-forth with Foster.
Foster consistently ranks near the top of the NBA referee rankings despite the criticism from players like Paul. He has officiated 16 NBA Finals including 23 games in the championship round.
Paul has previously called the beef "personal" and has never shied away from his feelings about Foster:
"We had a situation some years ago, and it's personal,” Paul said. “The league knows, everybody knows, and it's been a meeting and all that. It's a situation with my son and so, yeah. I'm O.K. with a ref talking, saying whatever, just don't use a tech to get your point across. I gotta do a better job making sure I stay on the floor for my teammates. But, yeah, that's that.”
Paul avoided any run-ins with Foster this postseason as the Golden State Warriors were eliminated in the Play-In Tournament and did not make the playoffs.