Chris Paul criticized NBA ref Lauren Holtkamp Thursday night after a technical foul, saying professional refereeing “might not be for her.” Friday, Paul and others emphasized that he was treating Holtkamp the same way he would any other referee:
Chris Paul says ref comments weren’t meant as sexist
Paul and several allies said he would’ve made the same statements about a male ref, while the NBA’s officials union stood by their referee’s call.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
"Last night was about a bad call." - Chris Paul
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 6, 2015 Doc Rivers: "Knowing Chris, I think that's what he meant more. I don't think he meant it was a gender issue at all."
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) February 6, 2015 Also weighing in was Michele Roberts, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, of which Paul is the president:
The @TheNBPA backs Chris Paul. Michele Roberts says suggestion he'd disrespect women is "utterly ridiculous, outrageous and patently false."
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) February 6, 2015 Holtkamp, a rookie referee, is only the third full-time female official in major American sports. Paul doesn’t have a history of criticizing referees, so it seemed like somewhat of an unlikely coincidence that harsh criticism of an official happened to be of a rare female in a nearly entirely male profession.
On the other hand, the NBA referees association stood by Holtkamp’s decision to give Paul a technical foul:
After review, the calls made by Ms. Holtkamp are fully justified. We deplore the unprofessional comments made by Chris Paul. #shebelongs
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) February 6, 2015 See More:
