Referees typically are nameless entities in the eyes of the casual NBA fan. If fans know the name of an official, there's a big chance that he's known for… questionable stuff. That is the case with Scott Foster, the infamous referee that everyone seemingly hates. After it was revealed by Eliot Shorr-Parks that Foster would be one of the referees for Game 7 of the Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics series, fans of both teams were livid.
Scott Foster for Game 7 #Sixers pic.twitter.com/XukDjcOvO4
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) May 14, 2023
— Loud and Uninformed Podcast (@loud_uninformed) May 14, 2023
— Dizzy (@DeadeyeDanny14) May 14, 2023
— Free Throw Enjoyer (@borgerman874) May 14, 2023
Hilariously, both Sixers and Celtics fans are claiming that Scott Foster was placed there to rig it in favor of their opponents. Yes, that's how bad Foster's reputation is amongst NBA fans, and rightfully so (more on that later).
Yep Sixers are definitely winning this game by 15
— False information guy 🟢⚪️ ✊🏿🇳🇬 (@GottiBoyz318) May 14, 2023
"Scott, buddy, it's me. Yeah we're gonna do LA and Boston again this year so you know what to do" pic.twitter.com/YEUgUts18A
— Jeff Smith (@jefftron5000) May 14, 2023
With Doc game 7 history, Celtics Game 7 history, the Process Reckoning AND these Refs, this game 7 is literally this…… pic.twitter.com/6Kcih5eHIh
— NR_Garrett (@NR_Garrett) May 14, 2023
Only real Celtics remember that the Celtics had a winning record with Scott foster last playoff season.
— Serious Team. (@Hodgyson1) May 14, 2023
So, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Why is Scott Foster so hated by NBA fans? Well, this Tweet sums it up (save for the last sentence).
Foster being allowed to continue as an NBA referee after his clear involvement in the Donaghy scandal is one of the most underreported stories in sports. To my knowledge only the Netflix documentary covered it. The NBA is basically just as predetermined as WWE
— Swanson and Ritner (@Fake_Burn_Acct) May 14, 2023
Scott Foster was one of the referees that was involved in the infamous Tim Donaghy scandal that rocked the NBA in the mid-2000s. That scandal revealed that Donaghy was betting on games that he was refereeing in. The investigation also revealed that Donaghy made several calls to Foster, seemingly implicating him in the same game fixing scandal. There's a reason why Sixers and Celtics fans are wary about Foster calling Game 7.
Regardless of whether Foster is fixing games or not, the fact that he's calling a game as big as a Sixers-Celtics Game 7 is bonkers. He's been rated as one of the worst referees by NBA players year after year, making bad calls every single game. The league is letting him officiate big games knowing that he's either a notoriously bad referee or a referee that might be fixing games. Honestly, I'm not sure what's worse between the two.