The Houston Rockets faced off against the Boston Celtics in a hard-nosed defensive matchup yesterday night, falling 93-114 to the Eastern Conference’s most surprising success story. However, the moment that stuck out from the game wasn’t a tough bucket; instead, it was Alperen Sengun’s ejection. Now, more details about the incident have surfaced.

In the fourth quarter, with about 6:03 on the clock, Sengun was heavily contested at the rim by Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, but couldn’t draw a foul. This, combined with physical play throughout the night, was a breaking point for the center, who blew up on referee Jenna Reneau.

Sengun called her a “f—— b—-,” before being assessed for double technicals, immediately ejecting him from the game without delay. There was no prolonged argument about what was said, and what made the moment stand out even more was the timing of Sengun’s blowup.

This moment came during a day when the Rockets’ local broadcast was celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day, spotlighting the role of women across professional leagues. The contrast between the message of the broadcast and how the team’s star handled things on the court was impossible to ignore, and extremely poor optics for both Sengun and the Rockets.

Reneau’s response made sense too. The NBA has long maintained a zero-tolerance policy for verbal abuse towards officials, and ejections for targeted explicit language are automatic regardless of circumstance. Earlier in the game, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was ejected for arguing with officials on a no-call as well, indicating an emotional edge that was felt across the team.

For Sengun, the incident comes at an important time in his career. The 23-year-old is the centerpiece of the Rockets, and despite being a skilled player, outbursts like yesterday’s cannot become a regular occurrence.

NBA Fans Were Swift and Unforgiving to Alperen Sengun’s Outburst vs Celtics

Yesterday night’s incident didn’t stay confined to Toyota Center, with clips of the incident quickly circulating online. Discourse quickly formed around Sengun‘s ejection.

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“As he should have been. No matter what was being celebrated; this isn’t acceptable.”

This fan, like many others, demanded better standards from one of the brightest young stars in the league, delivering a harsh judgement on what many saw as a line being crossed.

Others went a step further, arguing that the ejection was much lighter than what Sengun’s actions could have resulted in.

“That’s crazy what Sengun said to that official last night and I think he’s honestly lucky the league doesn’t give him another game for that. You can’t be saying stuff like that.”

To them, the issue wasn’t just that Sengun had said what he did to Reneau, but that the NBA didn’t discipline him further for his words.

A more severe response framed the moment as a part of a larger problem, extending the blame to the man at the helm of the Rockets.

“Ime Udoka still a garbage bag & Alperen Sengun needs to be suspended multiple games for call that woman a b—-.”

Udoka has had many verbal confrontations with referees, often resulting in at least one technical, and fans like the one above demand a change in approach from top-down.

Many also criticized those framing the issue as that of gender framing Sengun’s punishment.

“Why are people defending this? He would’ve got tossed if he swore at a male ref too.”

Posts like this insisted that the league’s guidelines require him to be accountable for his words, especially given how explicitly disrespectful he acted towards an official, something that has already been punished this season.

Finally, many simply argued for a bigger punishment, and even amongst those emphasizing consistency, expectations from Sengun went beyond those of on-court punishments.

“That deserves a suspension. Show some class.”

The focus shifted away from the game itself, and towards how the NBA will handle this moment. Only time will tell if Sengun faces any more consequences from the league.