Chris Paul has long been a source of frustration for NBA officials. Former official Bill Spooner, on the other hand, has accused the Point God of launching a campaign to discredit his rival, Scott Foster.
Paul made his NBA debut as the New Orleans Hornets’ fourth pick in the 2005 draft. Since then, he has emerged as one of the league’s greatest point guards. This was seen in how he helped the Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Phoenix Suns become contenders.
Along the process, Paul was named to 12 All-Star Games, 11 All-NBA teams, Rookie of the Year in 2006, and MVP of the 2013 All-Star Game. He also made it to the NBA Finals in 2021 with the Suns, but fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Former NBA referee Bill Spooner criticizes Chris Paul for allegedly destroying Scott Foster’s image.
While the feud between Paul and Foster has raged for years, neither side has made any attempt to address it. And if former referee Bill Spooner is to be believed, the former Los Angeles Clippers point guard is the villain in this battle. Jason Quick wrote an essay for The Athletic:
“Bill Spooner, the retired ref with 32 years in the league, said he thinks Paul has been building a calculated campaign against Foster.”I’m going to tell you something, and I know you’re recording me, but I’m often asked, ‘Who are some of the difficult guys, some of the evil ones?’
When I tell them that Chris Paul was one of the biggest a-holes I have dealt with, they say, ‘Not Rasheed Wallace … or da-da-da?’ Nope. “Nothing like (Paul),” Spooner stated. “And they go, ‘Oh, he seems like such a nice guy.'” And I respond, ‘Yeah, he’s an excellent image cultivator,'” Quick wrote.
Apart from creating a Hall of Fame-worthy career over the years, Paul is also one of the NBA’s most disliked players. A recent internet poll ranked him, Karl Malone, and Kevin Durant as the players with the greatest negative feelings.
The feud between Paul and Foster is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. Of course, this might all change in years, when all of these issues have cooled down.
