Chris Paul ‘one of the biggest a–holes I ever dealt with’: ex-NBA referee

Scott Foster isn’t the only NBA referee Chris Paul has tension with.

Bill Spooner, a retired referee who worked 32 years in the NBA, did not have kind words for Paul in a recent profile of Foster by The Athletic.

“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?’ And when I tell them that Chris Paul, in my 32 years in the league, was one of the biggest a–holes I ever dealt with, they say, ‘Not Rasheed Wallace … or da-da-da?’ Nope. Nothing like (Paul),” Spooner told The Athletic. “And they are like, ‘Oh, he seems like such a nice guy.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, he’s a great image cultivator.’”

Paul has had an open disdain for Foster for most of the last decade, dating back to a postgame incident on April 28, 2015, in which he tapped his car horn as Paul, who was holding his 5-year-old son’s hand, blocked the vehicle’s departure, according to The Athletic.

Paul, now 39, reportedly acted surprised before moving out of the way.

Foster said he did not say anything to Paul’s son, nor did he have any interaction with him.

“I got home the next day and was told there were accusations made that I did something unprofessional,” Foster told The Athletic. “The NBA did an investigation and found there was nothing found that needed to be discussed or anybody talked to. And that was the end of that.”

A meeting took place the following spring at the Clippers’ practice facility between Foster, Paul, Paul’s dad, Doc Rivers and Bob Delaney, an ex-NBA ref who transitioned to a role with the league office.

Paul has referenced the meeting publicly, including when Foster ejected the Warriors guard after an argument during a Nov. 22 game against the Suns.

“It’s personal,” Paul said. “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. I’m OK with a ref saying whatever — just don’t use a tech to get your point across.”