Former NBA referee calls out Chris Paul: 'He's a great image cultivator'

Chris Paul has waged a quiet war against referees for years, especially against Scott Foster. The Athletic did a story showing Scott Foster's story for the first time, which included a quote from 32-year NBA veteran referee Bill Spooner, who trashed Paul and his media persona. 

“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), And they are like, ‘Oh, he seems like such a nice guy.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, he’s a great image cultivator.'”

Many fans and players call Paul one of the dirtiest players in the NBA, while others call him high IQ. His constant bending of the rules is interesting, but it rightfully upsets a lot of players and referees.

Paul's relationship with Scott Foster is arguably one of the weirdest instances of a player and referee having an open rivalry. Rasheed Wallace was antagonizing every referee in his prime, but Paul seems to have a special animus for Foster which many believe is reciprocated by the veteran referee. 

Chris Paul And Scott Foster's Icy Relationship

Paul's open dislike for Foster became abundantly clear this season after the referee ejected Chris from a Warriors vs. Suns game. Hell broke loose after the game, as players like Stephen Curry publicly criticized Foster for ejecting the veteran guard from the game. 

This led to CP3 revealing that their feud isn't based on basketball but is personal because of Foster disrespecting Paul's son. 

"We had a situation some years ago, and it's personal. The league knows, everybody knows, and it's been a meeting and all that. It's a situation with my son and so, yeah. I'm ok with a ref talking, saying whatever, just don't use a tech to get your point across. It's been a thing for a while. I ain't saying nothing to get fined. It is what it is at this point."

Foster spoke to The Athletic about the situation, saying that the incident is from 2015 when Paul was blocking Foster's car as he was trying to leave the then-STAPLES Center after a Clippers' game he had officiated. Paul had his son by his side, and Foster ended up honking at the pair before they moved out of the way.

This simple incident led to closed-door meetings between Paul and Foster with intermediaries like Clippers head coach Doc Rivers also present. It's clear that the pair don't like each other, but Foster is feigning impartiality when it comes to Paul through this article. 

Anyone who's watched the NBA over the last 10 years can easily spot that Foster has gone out of his way to target Paul before, with CP3 losing 14 consecutive games where Foster was the lead official. Painting Paul as the sole villain in this article doesn't seem fair either.

Ultimately, this is likely an unmendable relationship. Paul will likely speak at length about this after his retirement to avoid invoking the ire of other referees and hurting his competitive chances.