It’s no secret that opposing players jaw at each other often during the course of a game. Whether it’s trash talk or some light conversation, there are always words being exchanged on the basketball court.
As fans, we often forget that players and NBA referees are always going at it, too.
Usually, we never really get to find out what these altercations are like or what is being said, but that changed on Sunday night.
In Minnesota, during the Wolves’ 20-point romp against the Warriors, young guard Jaylen Nowell was caught off guard when renowned official Scott Foster blasted him for complaining about a call.
Here’s the rare and hilarious exchange, which had the commentary crew rolling.
bahahahha Jaylen Nowell just tried Scott Foster: “that’s a foul????”
Scott Foster: “Yeah, that’s a foul. every day of the week here. THAT’S A FOUL EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.” pic.twitter.com/BG7FVNYtto
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 17, 2022
It’s rare to catch a ref clapping back like that, but it definitely makes for some entertaining content.
Despite widespread hatred for NBA officials, they do an admittedly excellent job at calling games. With the speed of the game, the frequent adjustments to the rules, and the relentless complaining by the players, the job of an NBA referee is not exactly an easy one.
Gilbert Arenas explained it well in a post back in December.
“I always try to explain that the NBA players is moving so fast that refs can’t keep up, a rule in the rule book VS how it looks in real life is very diff…if u think everyone understands words, ask 6 people what the same Bible verse means (6 different opinions on what they think it means) same with rules. Players are creating MOVES all summer not refs, so the first time a ref sees something it’s in real once the season starts , it could take them months or a year to deem it legal or not, if they deem it illegal, that information has to now be passed down to every ref…”
Funnily enough, Scott Foster is among the most experienced and respected refs in the game. He has called countless games over his career and has built a rapport with many big-time players.
Unfortunately for Jaylen Nowell, Foster just didn’t feel like hearing him complain and he fired back in a truly epic/hilarious way.
Makes you wonder what else he has said to mouthy players over the years.
