Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul was ejected for his remarks during the closing moments of Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers. With 6.6 seconds remaining and the game nearing its end, the NBA star’s comments led to his ejection.
Paul explained the reason behind his first technical foul: “I called him a TikToker, and I got a tech,” referring to his interaction with NBA referee Tony Brothers.
“Old Tony. He talking to me, I talked back. I called him a TikToker, and I got a tech. It was the first one. I just said, ‘TikToker,’ gave me a tech. Second one, I just said that’s too much powers. He gave me another tech,” Paul told reporters.
However, a single technical foul isn’t enough to eject a player from the game. Merely seventeen seconds after his initial remark, Paul’s subsequent comment to Brothers about having “too much power” resulted in his ejection.
Following the game, Paul highlighted his comment by sharing a related TikTok on his Instagram story. In the video clip, Brothers is a guest on a podcast, admitting he “doesn’t care too much for basketball.” Still, instead, he enjoys being the judge, jury, prosecuting attorney, and defense attorney on an NBA court.
Paul acknowledged that his comments were likely to lead to his ejection but also noted the relative triviality of the offense. He speculated on the possibility of the league overturning the second technical and, by extension, the ejection and its accompanying automatic fine, though he doubted such an outcome.
Paul has a long history with NBA officials, with his most heated “rivalry” being with Scott Foster that many consider as being a “personal beef” between the two.
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