Scott Foster isn’t the only NBA referee to have a strained relationship with Chris Paul.
Former NBA referee Bill Spooner, who worked in the NBA for 32 years, didn’t have kind words for Paul in a recent profile of Foster in The Athletic.
“I’m telling you, I know you’re recording me, but I get asked all the time, ‘Who are the tough guys, who are the bad guys?’ When I tell them that Chris Paul was one of the biggest, worst players I’ve ever dealt with in my 32 years at , they say, “No Rasheed Wallace…or Da Da Da?” no. (There’s nothing like Paul),” Spooner told The Athletic. “And they’re like, ‘Oh, he seems like a really nice guy.'” And I say, ‘Yeah, he’s a great image builder.’ ”
Paul has openly despised Foster for most of the past decade, starting with an incident on April 28, 2015, when Paul honked his car horn while holding his 5-year-old son’s hand after a game. It goes back to According to a reporter for The Athletic, the vehicle departed.
Paul, now 39, reportedly looked shocked before walking away.
Mr Foster said he did not say anything to Mr Paul’s son and had no interaction with him.
“When I got home the next day, I was told that I was being accused of unprofessional conduct,” Foster told The Athletic. “The NBA investigated and found that they didn’t find anything that needed to be discussed or needed to be consulted with anyone. And that was that.”
The following spring, a meeting took place at the Clippers’ practice facility between Foster, Paul, Paul’s father, Doc Rivers, and former NBA referee turned league administrator Bob Delaney.
Paul has publicly addressed the meeting, including during a game against the Suns on Nov. 22, when Foster ejected the Warriors guard after an altercation.
“It’s personal,” Paul said. “We had a situation like this a few years ago, and it’s personal. The league knows, everybody knows. There were meetings and stuff. It’s just my son’s situation. I don’t care what the umpires say, but please don’t use technology to get your point across.”
