NEW YORK — Chris Paul’s criticism of a rookie referee had nothing to do with her gender, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association said Friday.
Michele Roberts backed the Los Angeles Clippers guard in a strongly worded statement, noting Paul’s role in making her the first woman to head a North American major sports union last summer.
“Any suggestion that Chris Paul would ever conduct himself in a disrespectful manner toward women is utterly ridiculous, outrageous and patently false,” Roberts said.
Paul criticized Lauren Holtkamp on Thursday night after a game at Cleveland, saying she might not be ready for the big leagues after six seasons in the D-League. Holtkamp, who also has worked in the WNBA, is one of two active female officials in the NBA.
Lee Seham, general counsel for the National Basketball Referees Association, said in a statement his group reviewed Holtkamp’s calls and “deems them fully justified.”
“Furthermore,” he added, “the NBRA deplores the personal and unprofessional comments made by Chris Paul. She belongs.”
Paul was called for a technical foul by Holtkamp during the Clippers’ 105-94 loss at Cleveland. After a free throw by Cleveland in the third quarter, the Clippers were attempting to inbound quickly when Holtkamp stepped in. Paul questioned her and was slapped with the technical.
“The tech I got was ridiculous,” Paul said. “That’s terrible. There’s no way that can be a technical. We try to get the ball out fast every time down the court. When we did that, she said, ‘Uh-uh.’ I said, ‘Why uh-uh?’ and she gave me a technical. That’s ridiculous. If that’s the case, this might not be for her.”
