Scott Foster (born April 8, 1967) is an American professional basketball referee for the National Basketball Association (NBA). He began officiating games for the NBA in the 1994–95 season and wears number 48.
Scott Foster | |
|---|---|
 Foster officiating a game in 2018 | |
| Born | April 8, 1967 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | NBA referee |
| Years active | 29 |
Nicknamed "Agent 48" and "The Extender" because teams trailing in a playoff series have often won games he has officiated, thus lengthening the series, Foster's refereeing has drawn criticism from fans and players.[1][2][3] In an anonymized survey of nearly three dozen NBA players by the Los Angeles Times in 2016 and a separate anonymized survey of 108 NBA players by The Athletic in 2023, he was voted the worst referee in the NBA.[4][5]
Early life
editFoster was born on April 8, 1967, in Silver Spring, Maryland. His father, Dickie Foster, was a firefighter for Montgomery County, Maryland.[6] Whenever Foster coached his younger brothers' basketball games at his local recreation center, he was required to officiate the following match, sparking his interest to become a referee.[6]
While attending Magruder High School, Foster created the lawn mowing and trash disposal business Foster's Maintenance, which he passed onto his younger brother, David.[7] While attending the University of Maryland, Foster would officiate high school basketball games in Washington, D.C.[8][6]
Officiating career
editBefore his career in the NBA, Foster worked as a referee for two years in the Continental Basketball Association and had officiated college and high school basketball games. In his second season of officiating NBA games, Foster was assigned to his first nationally televised game, an April 1996 match between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. When the Lakers' point guard, Magic Johnson, bumped into Foster while contesting a call, Foster ejected Johnson, leading to the latter controversially receiving a three-game suspension and $10,000 fine.[6]
As of the 2021–22 NBA season, Foster has officiated 1,617 regular-season games and 226 playoff games in 28 seasons.[8] One of his most notable games was the deciding Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, which he officiated with Danny Crawford and Joey Crawford.[9][10][11]
Critics of Foster have asserted that he issues technical fouls for seemingly arbitrary reasons, misses crucial foul calls, and favors certain teams. In February 2019, James Harden called Foster “rude and arrogant.”[3][1][2] While serving as President of the National Basketball Players Association, Chris Paul often denounced Foster for favoring certain teams and players.[6]
Allegations of sports betting
editFoster's relationship with former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who pled guilty to two federal charges for match fixing in August 2007, has been called into question. According to court records, Donaghy made 134 phone calls to Foster between October 2006 and April 2007, during which Donaghy admitted to betting on games or passing on game information to gamblers. The majority of the calls lasted less than two minutes and occurred shortly before and after games that Donaghy officiated and gambled on.[12]
During the scandal, the NBA hired Lawrence Pedowitz of the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate Donaghy. In an October 2008 report, Pedowitz concluded that despite being interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in August 2007 as a possible co-conspirator, Foster was likely innocent.[6][13] Pedowitz framed Foster's frequent, short calls to Donaghy as consistent with Foster's communications with other referees while on the road, noting that Foster's mobile network operator would record a call that went to voicemail as either one or two minutes long.[14]
In March 2024, NBA player Rudy Gobert was fined $100,000 for rubbing his fingers together in a money gesture at Foster during a game. In a post-game interview, Gobert implied that Foster was unfairly officiating games due to his sports gambling interests.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b "Scott Foster among NBA referees assigned to Celtics-Heat Game 4". RSN. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
- ^ a b Krivitsky, Bobby (13 May 2022). "Scott Foster a Late Scratch for Game 6 Between Celtics and Bucks". Sports Illustrated Boston Celtics News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
- ^ a b Ngabo, Gilbert (2023-03-07). "NBA Ref Scott Foster is Notorious Among Fans Across the League, Including the Raptors Fan Base. Here's Why". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ Sam, Doric. "NBA Players Vote Tony Brothers Best, 2nd-Worst Ref; Scott Foster Rated Worst". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ Zucker, Joseph. "NBA's Best, Worst Referees Named by Players in LA Times Survey". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ a b c d e f Quick, Jason. "What Do You Think of Scott Foster After Reading This?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ "Scott Foster". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "Scott Foster". NBRA. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ Prada, Mike (2010-06-17). "NBA Finals Game 7 Referees: Joey Crawford, Danny Crawford And Scott Foster". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
- ^ Ladan, Luka. "Celtics vs. Lakers Game 5: The Referees Take Center Stage at NBA Finals". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
- ^ Staff, NESN (2010-06-17). "Joey Crawford, Scott Foster, Dan Crawford Assigned As Game 7's Officials". NESN.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
- ^ "Disgraced Former NBA Referee Tim Donaghy's Phone Calls to Second Ref Raise Questions". Fox News. 25 March 2015.
- ^ Schmidt, Michael S. (2008-10-02). "League Finds Donaghy Was Sole Referee Culprit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ Pedowitz, Lawrence B. (1 October 2018). Report to the Board of Governors of the National Basketball Association (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ "Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert fined $100,000 for directing 'money sign' gesture toward referee". Associated Press. 10 March 2024.