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Watch: LeBron James accidentally busts Scott Foster's lip
Most people know to get out of LeBron James' way when he's sprinting in their direction. Scott Foster is not like most people.
foster pic.twitter.com/yQ0oK9GpDS
— Erick Savage (@ErickSavage13) May 21, 2023
Late in the second quarter of Game 3 of Nuggets-Lakers, James ran into Foster as the referee stood along the side of the court. Play stopped temporarily as medical staff tended to Foster, who received a busted lip in the collision.
LeBron ran into Scott Foster who had to be treated by the medical staff for a cut on his mouth pic.twitter.com/fhbwGaexyT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 21, 2023
"You've been wanting to do that for 25 years," Foster jabbed at James while tending to his wound.
James may have gained a few new fans among his NBA peers. Foster is hugely unpopular among players. In an anonymous survey conducted by The Athletic, 25.4 percent of respondents voted Foster as the league's worst official.
His history with Chris Paul has been particularly notable over the years, with Paul calling Foster out on several occasions. Earlier this postseason, Paul ended the "Foster curse" by snapping a 13-game playoff losing streak in games he played that Foster officiated.
If Foster took the run-in personally, he didn't show it. Midway through the third quarter, he called a questionable fourth foul on Denver's Nikola Jokic when he swatted at an Anthony Davis field goal attempt but hit air instead. Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged the call but was unsuccessful.
Foul or no foul on Nikola Jokic? pic.twitter.com/E4WMobWw4i
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 21, 2023
In March, the Toronto Star ran an article detailing Foster's ignominious place among not only NBA players, but fans as well.
Per the Star, "Former NBA player Matt Barnes has called him a terrible referee. ESPN's Jackie MacMullan said everybody in the NBA has a problem with him."
The article pointed to several specific episodes to highlight why so many have a problem with Foster, including missed calls in big games and unwarranted ejections.
No referee inspires quite the ire that Foster does, but on Saturday, he was finally involved in a play his critics could celebrate.
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NBA champion guard retires after career filled with memorable moments
Marco Belinelli wasn't ever the most famous or accomplished NBA player. But in his 13 NBA seasons, the recently retired guard was part of a number of big NBA moments. Belinelli announced his retirement from professional basketball Monday after a career that spanned 13 NBA seasons, sandwiched between five seasons in Italy before and after his time in the league. He won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, won three league titles in Serie A and four Italian Supercups and was league MVP in 2024 at age 38. The Italian guard made a huge splash in his first Summer League game after the Golden State Warriors drafted him with the No. 18 pick in 2007, scoring 37 points, the second-highest single-game total at the time. The sharpshooting guard didn't truly emerge as a big-game player until 2013, when he joined the Chicago Bulls. With Derrick Rose out for the season, Belinelli stepped up with a huge performance in Game 7 of the first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 24 points and nine of the Bulls' last 11 points. Not only did he get the Bulls to the second round of the playoffs, where they'd lose to the eventual champion Miami Heat, but the loss inspired the Nets to make a hugely significant trade. They mortgaged the future to get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics, a deal that gave Boston the picks that became Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the core members of their 2024 title team. Belinelli moved on to the San Antonio Spurs, and he proceeded to show off his outside shooting by winning the Three-Point Contest. In the 2014 playoffs, Belinelli shot 42.1% from three-point range, helping the Spurs to a title and getting his revenge on the Heat. Once again, Belinelli's efforts helped blow up a playoff rival — LeBron James left the Heat to return to Cleveland after the season. While Belinelli had an amazing shooting run the next year, going 14-for-30 from deep in the first round, the Spurs lost to the Clippers, even after Belinelli hit seven threes in Game 6. After bouncing around the NBA for a few years, Belinelli made it back to the playoffs with the 2017-18 Philadelphia 76ers, where he hit a huge clutch shot against the Celtics to tie Game 3 at the buzzer. Unfortunately, the 76ers arena staff thought he'd won the game with a three-pointer, and they blasted celebratory confetti. The Sixers would lose in OT after Al Horford stole the ball from Ben Simmons. For a player who was never a star, Belinelli certainly has a collection of star-studded highlights. He'll be remembered for a long time — especially in San Antonio.
New report sheds light on how Cowboys view Micah Parsons situation
It is no secret that the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is not on solid ground, but that does not necessarily mean it is tarnished beyond repair. On the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted that Parsons and the Cowboys are "headed towards divorce." Schefter said the two sides have not spoken since April and that it seems like a matter of when — not if — they part ways. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson was told the situation is not quite that grim, at least from the Cowboys' perspective. Anderson reported on Tuesday evening that the relationship between Parsons and Dallas "has not deteriorated to the point of an imminent divorce." "I did not detect any obvious tones of concern in my sourced conversation when I recently asked about ESPN's Adam Schefter's report stating he sees 'these two sides headed towards a divorce, in time.' ... I just feel Dallas has so much history with protracted (and) sensitive negotiations, thus my current impression is the club remains unrattled, at this time," Anderson wrote in a post on X. Parsons is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. The 26-year-old had 12 sacks in 13 games last season and has 52.5 sacks in 63 career games. Parsons is arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL when healthy. Although Parsons has formally requested a trade, the Cowboys maintain that they have no intention of dealing their four-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The only real leverage Parsons has is creating a headache in Dallas. He remains under contract, and the Cowboys also can use the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons. If Parsons were to sit out regular-season games, his contract would eventually toll. Even with Jerry Jones publicly taking shots at Parsons, one massive contract offer could change everything.
Giants have firm stance on possible Jameis Winston trade
The New York Giants have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the NFL, and there has been speculation that Jameis Winston could be the odd man out when the regular season begins. It does not sound like Winston is going anywhere, however. Russell Wilson is expected to be the Giants' starting quarterback in Week 1. The big question is whether Jaxson Dart or Winston will enter the year as Wilson's primary backup. Dart has played well through two preseason games, and Brian Daboll and his coaching staff have raved about the former Ole Miss star. Some have wondered if the Giants could entertain trade offers for Winston should they decide they view Dart as their No. 2 quarterback. Assistant general manager Brandon Brown was asked about that on Tuesday, and he all but ruled it out. "I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant. The way that he's gone about his business from day one, he's made it very intentional of the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul," Brown said. "Teammates love him. His preparation process, whether it's the off-field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible studies, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together — not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole. "He's been comic relief, but he's also been a really good example of how to be a pro and handle your business in terms of prehab, rehab and postgame care. So, I'm happy he's here, and he's gonna continue to do those things. He hasn't wavered, and he hasn't been shaken by any distractions at all." Winston signed a two-year, $8M contract with the Giants in free agency this offseason. The deal could climb as high as $16M with incentives, but he would need to play quite a bit to hit those. The Giants value Winston's extensive experience, just as they value Dart's upside. There is a reason they signed both Wilson and Winston and traded up to draft Dart. They believe in all three players, and they likely will not be inclined to trade Winston unless they receive an excellent offer.
Angel Reese has profane taunt for opponent during her return
Angel Reese made the most of her return to the court on Tuesday night. The Chicago Sky star Reese, who was playing in her first game in three weeks due to a back injury, went viral for her profane taunt of Seattle Storm opponent Dominique Malonga. In the second quarter of the game between the two sides at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, Malonga got the ball down low and tried to score one-on-one against Reese. Reese read Malonga’s post move all the way though and swatted her shot right out of bounds. As Reese made the rejection, she yelled out loud, “Give me that s–t!” Here is the video (but obviously beware of the audible cursing). Malonga is a 19-year-old rookie who was the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft (behind only Paige Bueckers). Thus, it looks like Reese was trying to give Malonga her “welcome to the WNBA” moment there. In the end however, it was the Storm who got the last laugh over the Sky. While Reese (19 points and seven rebounds) won the individual battle over Malonga (15 points and seven rebounds), it was Seattle that defeated Chicago by a final score of 94-88. Not a lot has gone right for the Sky this season as they are now a horrid 8-26 on the year. But at least Reese is now back in the lineup, her statistics look good (14.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game overall), and she is adding again to the many viral moments that she has produced this season.
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