NBA Player Shows Camera to Ref to Prove Missed Foul Call

Michael Zhang

An unusual and humorous situation unfolded during an NBA basketball game on Saturday after a Lakers player took a photographer’s camera to the ref as “photo evidence” of a blown foul call.

The Los Angeles Lakers were visiting the Boston Celtics at TD Garden last night and had the ball with 4.1 seconds left on the clock and the game tied 105-105. LeBron James received the inbound pass and drove to the hoop for a last-second, game-winning layup, but a hard found on the arm by the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum caused him to miss the shot.

Unfortunately for James and the Lakers, none of the three refs on the floor called the clear and obvious foul. Instead of having the chance to make a free throw and likely guarantee a victory, James was furious that the game was going into overtime.

Everyone who saw the instant replay could immediately see that James had gotten fouled, and Lakers point guard Patrick Beverley decided to take it upon himself to make sure the refs clearly saw as well. He grabbed a baseline photographer’s camera, pulled up a photo of Tatum whacking James’s arm, and walked it over to referee crew chief Eric Lewis as proof they had missed the call.

Beverley’s attempt to show up the officials with a camera were instantly a hit on social media.

Beverley’s antics did not go over well with the referees, who quickly handed him a technical foul. Tatum then hit the technical foul free throw to give the Celtics a 106-105 lead going into overtime. The Lakers went on to lose the game 125-121.

Lakers star Anthony Davis told the press after the game that the non-call was “unacceptable.”

“I guarantee you nothing’s going to happen to the ref,” he said in a criticism that will almost certainly result in a hefty fine from the NBA. “We got cheated tonight. It’s a blatant foul… The refs were bad tonight.”

Speaking with reporters after the game, the referees explained the foul on Beverley and acknowledged that they had missed seeing the critical foul.

“Why was Patrick Beverley assessed a technical foul at the end of regulation?,” Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe asked Lewis.

“His actions were inappropriate in addressing resentment to a non-call,” the crew chief replied.

“It looked like he brought a camera out – was he trying to show you something?” Himmelsbach asked.

“Yes, that was part of his inappropriate actions,” Lewis said.

“It looked like there was contact on LeBron’s drive at the end of regulation. Why was there no foul call there and what did you see there?” questioned Himmelsbach.

“There was contact,” Lewis admitted. “At the time, during the game, we did not see a foul. The crew missed the play.”

Image credits: Still frames by the NBA on ESPN.

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