Baller Alert
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
No Result
View All Result
Baller Alert
No Result
View All Result

Former NBA Referee Claims League Pushed for More Foul Calls In Favor Of Kobe Bryant

by Iesha
November 8, 2023
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Kobe Bryant Would Have Turned 46 Today & His Legacy Continues To Touch Us All

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy claims the league pressured referees to call more fouls in favor of star players like Kobe Bryant to increase game scoring.

During a recent interview with VladTV, Donaghy discussed the highly competitive 2006 NBA Playoffs, specifically the Lakers-Suns series, where Kobe’s team competed against a superior Phoenix team, resulting in a seven-game series.

According to Donaghy, the NBA pressured officials to call more fouls on Raja Bell, known at the time as “The Kobe Stopper.”

“I’ll never forget when Kobe was in a playoff series with the Phoenix Suns, and I forget who the defender was, but they called him ‘The Kobe Stopper,’ or he referred to himself as ‘The Kobe Stopper,’ and they would show us video of games previously of plays that fouls weren’t called on this guy holding him or defending him too strongly, and they wanted freedom of movement because they wanted higher scores in these games,” Donaghy explained.

He said, “They would show you plays and say, ‘This was a foul that was missed, and these three referees missed this play.  Make sure you don’t let this happen tonight; make sure you call this when this happens.’ And that’s how they would program and train the officials in the next game to have more freedom of movement and have Kobe Bryant score more points and do well.”

Despite Donaghy’s statements, the Suns won the seven-game series against the Lakers, and Kobe scored below his average with 27.9 points per game instead of his usual 35.4.

Donaghy left the NBA in 2007 after being investigated for allegedly betting on games he officiated.

The former referee was sentenced to 15 months in prison but only served 11.

 

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Discover more from Baller Alert

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Related Posts

Devin Booker and Chet Holmgren Sign Massive Max Extensions on Same Day
Sports

Devin Booker and Chet Holmgren Sign Massive Max Extensions on Same Day

July 11, 2025

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns did not take time away from team negotiations during NBA Summer League,...

Giannis Antetokounmpo Hints at Uncertain Future with Milwaukee Bucks, Says “Taxes Are Better" in Florida
Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo Hints at Uncertain Future with Milwaukee Bucks, Says “Taxes Are Better” in Florida

July 10, 2025

The Milwaukee Bucks have endured a rough stretch over the past few months, beginning with star point guard Damian Lillard...

Racist Meme Targeting Angel Reese Sparks Outrage
News

Racist Meme Targeting Angel Reese Sparks Outrage—Robert Griffin III Responds

July 10, 2025

The online hate targeting WNBA star Angel Reese hit a disturbing low this week after a racist meme surfaced showing...

Angel Reese Lands NBA 2K26 Cover and Debuts Her Signature Sneaker on the Artwork
Sports

Angel Reese Lands NBA 2K26 Cover and Debuts Her Signature Sneaker on the Artwork

July 9, 2025

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is officially one of the faces of NBA 2K26, scoring the cover of the WNBA...

Next Post
Roger Golubski (via Shawnee County Detention Center)

Five Black Women File Federal Lawsuit Accusing Kansas City Police Of Rape, Intimidation

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Baller News

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

* indicates required

Follow Us

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© Copyright 2024, Baller Alert Inc. All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
%d