Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul (3) Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Paul took hilarious jab at rival ref before latest ejection

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 3/23/24

If Warriors guard Chris Paul ever pens down an autobiography, a chapter should be dedicated to his run-ins with various NBA referees.

During the waning seconds of Golden State's 123-111 loss to the Pacers on Friday night, Paul reignited his rivalry with senior referee Tony Brothers, for which he predictably got tossed out of the contest.

With 22.6 seconds left in a game mathematically out of grasp, Paul decided to get snarky by making his feelings known about Brothers. First, he referred to the referee as "a TikToker," which was a reference to comments made by Brothers in a recent TikTok video.

Upon being slapped with the first technical for the comment, Paul told Brothers that he was drunk with power, provoking his second technical and automatic ejection.

"Old Tony. He talking to me, I talked back," Paul told reporters after the game. "I called him a TikToker, and I got a tech. It was the first one. I just said, 'TikToker' and he gave me a tech. Second one, I just said 'That's too much power.' He gave me another tech."

Chris Paul said he called Tony Brothers a “Tik Toker” to get the first technical and told Brothers he has too much power and received a second T.

(Paul just posted a Tik Tok of a Brothers interview to his IG story) pic.twitter.com/W2B7x3M4fv
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 23, 2024

As seen below, Paul took to his Instagram story to explain why he labeled Brothers "a TikToker" during their in-game interaction.

Chris Paul posted NBA ref Tony Brothers on his instagram story pic.twitter.com/enRrcQK7qh
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) March 23, 2024

It became evident that Paul was making a statement about NBA referees acting on a whim and slapping players with technicals left and right — many times for merely clarifying a doubt. The issue of referees being "drunk with power" has also been broached by LeBron James, who went on a tirade in January following a series of egregious officiating calls during a game between the Pacers and Celtics.

The fact that Paul picked up two techs after the Warriors had already lost the game was another indicator he was trying to put the referees on blast. The tactic could severely backfire when the Warriors try to keep their season alive in a single-game elimination scenario during next month's play-in tournament.

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