It’s often been claimed that an official’s role is the toughest in most sports, including basketball. Numerous people have previously called out the NBA officials and accused them of intentionally making certain calls for certain players. Infamous referee Tim Donaghy, who was found guilty of gambling in 2007, previously claimed it to be true. What’s more concerning is that even a 3x All-Star in Gilbert Arenas just confirmed the allegations in a conversation with DJ Vlad. 

As per his interview with DJ Vlad as well as the documentary, Operation Flagrant Foul, Donaghy shared that the upper hands of the league asked the officials to favor the star players during the games, using footage from previous games to ensure contentious calls weren’t missed again. Agreeing with his comment, Arenas shared, “You know what the NBA is? It’s entertainment… They’re in the business of entertaining, not in the business of basketball.”

He further stated that fans don’t come to watch their favorite players sit on the bench. Agent Zero added that there were certain things that star players like Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James could get away with but he couldn’t.

“I want my entertainers to be on the court entertaining, not sitting on the sideline because you want to f******* blow your whistle all f******g day. I don’t give a s**t what he’s doing. They came to see him play. They didn’t come to see him drink f******g Gatorade,” Arenas said. He further added, “So whatever you have to do, look the other way so everyone can be happy here and that’s the truth.” 

The retired NBA player suggested that these points and highlights are what he looks for in a game. These specific aspects enhance the excitement and energy of the games, which would have been disrupted if strict rules were followed. Former NBA player Smush Parker also mentioned how sometimes the star players were favored in an interview with DJ Vlad. But what had Donaghy said about the same?

Tim Donaghy’s gambling scandal in 2007 and his claims

Back in 2008, the former referee pleaded guilty to two charges for sharing important information about the games and sending out betting details across different states. Following this, he was sentenced to a 15-month prison term and three years of supervised release. It was a big controversy that shook the NBA world. 

Donaghy shared his version of the story in his book, Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA. He once again mentioned them in the Netflix documentary. In an interview with USA Today, Donaghy claimed, “I was in the inner workings of it for 14 years and I saw what we going to do and how star players were treated, and it was different depending what was on the front and back of jerseys.”

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While such instances haven’t come to light since, many analysts and former players still believe this to be the case in the NBA.