Officiating is always a hot topic, and sometimes we get to hear opinions on the matter from coaches and players. Meanwhile, we rarely get to hear referees talking candidly about their opinions of players, but former NBA official Bill Spooner recently opened up about Warriors point guard Chris Paul -- who has a well-known feud with veteran referee Scott Foster.
"I'm going to tell you, and I know you are recording me, but I get asked all the time: 'Who are some of the tough guys, some of the bad guys?'" Spooner told The Athletic. "And when I tell them that Chris Paul, in my 32 years in the league, was one of the biggest assholes 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.'"
Paul has not publicly talked about Spooner, but he is notoriously known to dislike Foster. Spooner said this is nothing new because "every era has the referee who everybody hates."
"But guess what? They are the ones working the big games. Earl Strom, Jake (O'Donnell), Joey Crawford … everybody hated those guys," Spooner said. "Same with Scott. But if it's a big game, and the league wants somebody to run the game, Scott is going to be on it. Because he is a damn good referee."
One of the latest incidents between Paul and Foster came last November. Late in the second quarter of the Warriors' 123-115 loss to the Phoenix Suns, Foster ejected Paul after a pair of quick technical fouls.
"It's personal. The league knows, everybody knows, there's been a meeting," Paul said after the game. "... I'm OK with a ref talking, just don't use a tech to get your point across."
Interestingly enough, Paul's teammate, Draymond Green, actually has a much different perspective on Foster.
"One of my favorite officials, which I guess is odd for most people, is Scott Foster," Green said on the The Draymond Green Show earlier this year. "I love Scott, by the way."
Green said he appreciates knowing what he is going to get when Foster is officiating because he draws a clear line.
"Scott, I can say a few things, and he gonna cut it off," Green explained. "It's not like I'm judging where the line at. Like, 'Nope, this is the line, Draymond, and if you cross it, I'm tech-ing you.'"
It seems as if taking sides in the feud is all about perspective. In 2020, Green admitted he did not like Paul and said they did not have a good relationship. However, when Paul joined the Warriors last year, Green said he was able to separate the competitor from the person, and their relationship improved.
"If you've ever watched Chris compete, he's kind of an asshole," Green said. "He may say the same thing about me, and that's OK. But he's also one of the most competitive guys that I've played against over my 11 years in this league. I'm also an extremely competitive guy, and I'm not backing down from anyone. He's not backing down from anyone."
