Disgraced ref says Kobe Bryant gets star treatment on foul calls
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Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is finishing his 15-month sentence for his conviction on gambling charge. Donaghy admitted he was paid by gamblers for his picks on games, including those he refereed.
Donaghy wrote a book, ‘Blowing the Whistle,’ that was supposed to be published by Random House. But this week the publisher said it would not go ahead with the release of Donaghy’s tell-all book.
Deadspin.com, though, published several excerpts from the book and it triggered a flood of responses, including from the NBA, which said it would review once again Donaghy’s allegations, though the league said its independent investigation last fall concluded that Donaghy was the only official engaged in criminal conduct.
One Deadspin excerpt talked about how the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was favored by NBA officials on foul calls, according to Donaghy:
Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players ... . His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell’s tenacity on defense ... . If a player of Kobe’s stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell ... . If Kobe Bryant had two fouls in the first or second quarter and went to the bench, one referee would tell the other two, ‘Kobe’s got two fouls. Let’s make sure that if we call a foul on him, it’s an obvious foul, because otherwise he’s gonna go back to the bench. If he is involved in a play where a foul is called, give the foul to another player.’
-- Barry Stavro
