"NBA finna make him go missing" - Fans react to Cavaliers' $5,000,000 guard singling out ref Natalie Sago
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome is having the best season of his NBA career, but he made headlines for the wrong reasons on Monday.
The 6-foot-5 guard, whose 11.8 ppg and 51.8% field goal shooting are career highs, criticized one of the referees that officiated Cleveland's matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers. Though the Cavaliers came away with a 133-129 overtime win, Jerome, who signed a two-year, $5 million contract in 2023, singled out official Natalie Sago in his post-game comments.
“I thought the refs were really bad tonight. Especially Natalie, she was really bad,” Jerome said.
Jerome's criticism of Sago, a referee with six seasons of NBA experience, had fans weighing in on X:
"Called out by name??? omg NBA finna make him go missing," said one fan.
"Well. I imagine that statement will come with a fine," said another fan.
"Role player talking about the refs," added another.
"I think his ex girlfriend's name was Natalie," joked yet another fan.
Other online users, however, agreed with Jerome's criticism of Sago.
"She’s always awful," said one online user.
"IT'S ABOUT TIME SOMEONE COMPLAINS PUBLICLY ABOUT HER," echoed another online user.
In spite of whatever gripes Jerome has about the NBA's officials, the Cavaliers continue to dominate the standings. Their thrilling victory over the Trail Blazers improved their record to 50-10, making them the first team to hit the 50-win mark this season.
Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell names his pick for Defensive Player of the Year
As the Cavs move closer to clinching homecourt advantage throughout the rest of the playoffs, a number of players on their roster are likely to take home some hardware as well.
Last week, Cavs star Donovan Mitchell went on X to let the world know his pick for 2025 Defensive Player of the Year:
"Evan Mobley DPOY," Mitchell tweeted.
Though Mitchell obviously went with a homer pick, it's plausible that Mobley enters the DPOY conversation now that Victor Wembanyama is out of the running for the award.