Scott Foster (basketball)

Scott Foster
Foster officiating a game in 2018
Born (1967-04-08) April 8, 1967
Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
OccupationNBA referee
Years active1992–present

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.

Nicknamed "Agent 48" and "the Extender" by fans for seemingly lengthening playoff series, Foster has drawn much criticism from fans and players for his officiating.[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

Foster was born on April 8, 1967, in Silver Spring, Maryland. His father, Richard "Dicky" 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 game, sparking his interest in becoming 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

Before 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]

References

  1. 1 2 "Scott Foster among NBA referees assigned to Celtics-Heat Game 4". RSN. May 23, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Krivitsky, Bobby (May 13, 2022). "Scott Foster a Late Scratch for Game 6 Between Celtics and Bucks". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Ngabo, Gilbert (March 7, 2023). "NBA Ref Scott Foster is Notorious Among Fans Across the League, Including the Raptors Fan Base. Here's Why". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  4. ↑ Sam, Doric. "NBA Players Vote Tony Brothers Best, 2nd-Worst Ref; Scott Foster Rated Worst". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ Zucker, Joseph. "NBA's Best, Worst Referees Named by Players in LA Times Survey". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Quick, Jason. "What Do You Think of Scott Foster After Reading This?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Scott Foster". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Scott Foster". NBRA. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ Prada, Mike (June 17, 2010). "NBA Finals Game 7 Referees: Joey Crawford, Danny Crawford And Scott Foster". SBNation.com. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ Ladan, Luka. "Celtics vs. Lakers Game 5: The Referees Take Center Stage at NBA Finals". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  11. ↑ Staff, NESN (June 17, 2010). "Joey Crawford, Scott Foster, Dan Crawford Assigned As Game 7's Officials". NESN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
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