Devin Booker Called Out a Ref by Name and the NBA Made Him Pay $35K for It

The Phoenix Suns are down 2-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, and Devin Booker is not holding back. After the Suns dropped Wednesday's game 120-107, Booker went straight at the officials, calling out referee James Williams by name and saying his performance was "terrible." The NBA slapped him with a $35,000 fine on Thursday for those comments, but here's the kicker: the league actually sided with him on one thing.

Booker Had Enough and Said It Out Loud

In 11 years with the Suns, Booker said he's never called out a referee by name before. That tells you how frustrated he was. After the loss in Oklahoma City, he explained what set him off. "It's definitely something that has to be looked at," Booker said. "I heard Alex Caruso tell them to call the tech, and he ended up doing it." He was fired up about the technical foul that got whistled on him late in the third quarter.

Booker wasn't done either. "Whatever I get fined for, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration comes from." The man was basically daring the league to look at the tape and prove he was wrong.

The League Fined Him but Admitted He Was Right About the Tech

James Jones, the NBA's executive vice president and head of basketball operations, dropped the hammer with a $35,000 fine. But in the same announcement, the league rescinded the technical foul against Booker, calling it "improperly assessed." That's vindication, even if it doesn't erase the fine.

The league's press release also addressed Booker's claim about bias. After investigating and reviewing video, the NBA said it found "no basis to any claim of bias or misconduct by game officials." Fair enough, but getting that tech overturned still stings less when you're already down 0-2 and heading back home.

Booker shot for 22 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's loss, following up a 23-point, six-rebound performance in Game 1. He averaged 26.1 points with 6.0 assists during the regular season and is a five-time All-Star across his 11 seasons with Phoenix. The Suns need everything going right to climb back into this series.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.