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Referee Scott Foster ejected Chris Paul after giving him two technical fouls in the same sequence. The incident happened during the Golden State Warriors contest against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, November 22. Foster also punished Steve Kerr for reacting to the veteran point guard's ejection.
Paul and Foster have a long history. There is a personal issue between both parties, which Paul elaborated on during his post-game press conference. As such, a large contingent of NBA fans believe Foster allowed his personal feelings towards Paul to cloud his decision-making.
The NBA will undoubtedly look at the incident between Foster and Paul, especially considering their long history. If the veteran referee is found to have acted unprofessionally, the league will be expected to take action.
Paul joined the Warriors during the offseason when Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. sent Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards to acquire the veteran guard. Paul has played in the starting lineup while Draymond Green has been serving his five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
Golden State added Paul to bring playmaking and scoring to their second unit. However, he has struggled to find his offensive rhythm in the season's opening weeks.
Chris Paul reveals a long-standing issue with Scott Foster
When speaking to the media after the Golden State Warriors loss to the Phoenix Suns, Chris Paul revealed there is a personal issue between him and Scott Foster that stretches back to his time with the LA Clippers.
"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. So, I'm okay with a ref saying whatever; just don't use a tech to get your point across. I gotta do a better job of staying on the floor to help my teammates."
Paul continued:
"I had a meeting with him, my dad, Doc Rivers, Bob Delaney, and all us (when I was) with the Clippers. It was a whole thing, man. And it's still been a thing for a while...It is what it is at this point."
Given the hostilities between Paul and Foster, it will be interesting to see whether the NBA continues to staff Warriors games with the veteran coach or whether they try to keep the two parties separate for the rest of the season. Regardless of what happens, the situation has certainly created some talking points that the NBA front office will need to address.
