Can NBA referees ever become a part of a major storyline? They certainly did after Game 1 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. After all, according to reports, the ‘national discussion’ after Game 1 became focused on recently declared MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul-baiting tactics, along with the calls he was given in light of them. By considering this, the NBA named the league’s two most well-known refs, Scott Foster and Tony Brothers, to the officiating crew for Game 2. Unfortunately, judging from what happened, Foster would certainly be having second thoughts about agreeing to the officiating.

Be shocked and in awe, because this description is about the injury status of a referee, not a player! Less than 2 minutes had elapsed in the game when the incident occurred, and blood was already being drawn on the court. Yikes!

In-game footage now clearly shows that the 26-year-old was attempting to grab the ball after Scott Foster launched it in the air. Julius Randle was also attempting to get a hold of the ball, however, Dort was pushed out of receiving it. This caused him to accidentally hit the referee in the face. Dort’s foot also appeared to connect with Foster’s midsection. The game was paused for a couple of minutes as Foster received medical attention. When he finally returned to the hardwood, Foster’s nose was cloaked in a mound of gauze, clearly visible coming out of his right nostril.

The incident was certainly a distressing one. However, not everyone would have sympathized with Scott Foster too much. After all, the refs carry a reputation for not being too liked by the NBA fandom. In fact, in two separate surveys, with one conducted in 2016 by the Los Angeles Times and another in 2023 in The Athletic, Foster was voted as the worst NBA referee by an anonymous group of players. Over the years, he has earned the nickname of The Extender, thanks to reports of fans being convinced that Foster was assigned to playoff games when the league wants the series to go longer. With OKC winning Game 1 against the Timberwolves by a 114-88 score, aka a 26-point margin, some people might have gone on to speculate that Foster was brought in to favor the Timberwolves!

If that wasn’t enough, some fans would have also had a good laugh over the fact that Chris Paul was in the Paycom Center when the injury occurred. The feud between Paul and Foster is one for the history books, since the player reportedly holds a 3-17 record in playoff games officiated by Foster. On top of that, he has openly complained about the referee to reporters. Nevertheless, a referee was injured, and that is never a good thing in itself.

Fortunately, Scott Foster was able to shake this injury off. He would have been glad of it a bit, since he had faced worse injuries on the court.

Has Scott Foster ever been injured on the court before?

Believe it or not, but Scott Foster was on the injury report just earlier this year, before his recent nose hit. Back on March 18, the 58-year-old was officiating a matchup between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. Soon, The Athletic’s Fred Katz took to X to report that “Scott Foster exited last night’s Knicks-Heat game early with a calf injury, NBA says.” Both teams had to play the 4th quarter with only two referees calling the games. Foster just so happened to be the second non-player to leave the game due to a medical situation, as famous Knicks fan Tracy Morgan had earlier exited the game after reportedly getting sick due to food poisoning.

No proper timetable was provided for Scott Foster’s return to action. This raised the belief that the referee could have gone on to miss the then-upcoming NBA playoffs. Shaquille O’Neal once took to Instagram and reacted to the news of Scott Foster being out ‘indefinitely’ by writing “Good.” Seemed like Foster’s reputation as The Extender was something even former NBA players believed in.

Then again, Shaq himself was on the receiving end of Foster’s officiating, which explained the animosity. Unfortunately, for Shaq at least, the referee didn’t keep himself away from the postseason. He returned, after being out 7 weeks, to officiate the Denver Nuggets-Oklahoma City Thunder Game 2 matchup.

Now, it remains to be seen whether Foster, or any member of the Thunder or Timberwolves squad, will choose to speak on Foster’s injury. What are your thoughts on Scott Foster’s officiating? Let us know in the comments.