NBA referee Zach Zarba had a rather surprising response when he was asked by Sopan Deb of the New York Times if superstar players in the league get more leeway during games.

Zarba, who is a 17-year veteran referee and currently working the NBA playoffs at Walt Disney World, said star players in the league actually “don’t get all the calls and don’t get as many whistles as they deserve.”

New York Times: “Do superstars get more leeway?”

Zach Zarba: “I would disagree and go the other way and I would say that the majority of superstar players in our league don’t get all the calls and don’t get as many whistles as they deserve.”

New York Times: “They would agree with you.”

Zach Zarba: “They would agree, correct. They actually finish a lot of plays at the rim and are so strong and so fast — and the hand is quicker than the eye — that there are things you go back and later on, you go: ‘Wow, you know what? He did get fouled.' “

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NBA superstars such as Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James and Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden believe they are fouled on seemingly every drive to the hoop.

Based on Zarba's comments, it appears LeBron and Harden's finishing ability at the rim and overall upper body strength are actually hurting them with the NBA game officials.

Referees have such a tough job and it has only gotten tougher ever since replay was put into the game and the league started doing the last two-minute reports.