"Situation with my son": Chris Paul shockingly reveals NBA is aware of his 'personal' beef with Scott Foster
Chris Paul minced no words when he said his beef with NBA referee Scott Foster was personal. The Golden State Warriors star was ejected in his first game back in Phoenix against his former team. The seasoned guard got into a heated exchange with Foster late in the first half of Wednesday’s clash and picked up two technical fouls, resulting in him being tossed from the game.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath, a visibly upset Paul explained his beef with the referee at length but didn't divulge all the details.
"It's personal. We had a situation some years ago and it's personal. The league knows, everybody knows. There's been a meeting and all that. It's just a situation with my son. I'm okay with the ref saying whatever, but don't use a tech to get your point across. I got to do a better job staying on the floor for my teammates. But yeah, that's that."
When pressed about the situation with this son, Paul responded:
"They know what it is. He knows what it is too. I had a meeting with him, Bob Delany, my dad and Doc Rivers."
He added that Foster has given tech fouls to him before, and they have had verbal run-ins, but Wednesday's clash was the first time that saw the floor general for the Warriors being ejected in a Foster-officiated game. Paul ended with six points and as many assists in 17 minutes of action. In the end, the Suns won 123-115.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr was also slapped with a technical foul from Foster as he argued about Chris Paul's ejection.
A quick look at the history between Chris Paul and Scott Foster
For those unaware, there is a rather unique stat that highlights the relationship between the player and the referee. Chris Paul's teams that he played for are 3-17 in games officiated by Scott Foster, and that includes 13 straight defeats at one point.
In 2021, after the 11th straight loss in Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs between the Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers, Paul emphasized the "11 in a row" dig at Foster.
Steve Kerr later shared his view on Paul's ejection:
“I think Scott just felt that Chris didn’t stop and kept going. That’s why he gave him the second one. That was his explanation. I didn’t think Chris deserved to be ejected. The first tech, absolutely. But the second one was unnecessary. Everyone gets frustrated out there. But that’s up to the official.”
It's unlikely that this beef will be quashed anytime soon. For Chris Paul, who confirmed that this was indeed personal, only time will tell if the details of his strained relationship with Foster will come to light.