Lakers guard Austin Reaves said a referee yelled in his face during the Game 2 tip-off against the OKC Thunder, calling the interaction disrespectful in post-game comments following the Lakers' 125-107 loss.

Following the game, Reaves engaged in an animated discussion with the officials on the court with some of his teammates around him. LeBron James, spotting it from the bench, rushed to the spot with him, appearing to support his teammate.

Looking for clarity on what triggered such a confrontation, the reporters surrounded Austin Reaves in the locker room. He referred to an incident during a jump-ball and said, “I felt disrespected.”

According to Reaves, the issue began when players started shifting positions before the referee tossed the ball. The guard added, “When we were doing the whole tip-ball, and they were switching spots, I wanted to get on the other side,” as he felt the OKC player had an advantage over the possession.

The 27-year-old continued, “He (Official) turned around and just yelled at me, yelled at my face. I just thought it was disrespectful.”

Reaves also claimed that officials ignored a similar positional movement from Oklahoma City players during the same tip-off sequence, and that he remained respectful throughout the exchange.

Also, he stressed that he remained respectful throughout the game, suggesting the referee's response was disproportionate to the situation. He added, “We're grown men, and I just didn't feel like he needed to yell in my face like that.”

Moreover, he further doubled down, saying, “If I did that to him first, I would have got a tech. I feel like the only reason I didn't get a tech is because he knew he was in the wrong.”

LeBron James and Luka Doncic Also Involved in Officiating Exchanges During Game 2

The confrontation wasn’t a standalone event in the game. Austin Reaves engaged in another on-court discussion with a referee later in the game before Luka Doncic stepped in and pulled him away from the discussion.

LeBron James also spent most of the game, visibly frustrated with the refs. During an opening quarter, the Lakers' star yelled toward an official after he denied a call after a contact bucket. 

Since the start of the postseason, multiple officiating debates have emerged. Notably, Jaylen Brown found himself in trouble after the league slapped him with a $50,000 fine for criticizing the officials after the Celtics' Game 7 loss.

Now that Reaves has openly commented on the on-court incident, do you think the league will fine him?

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Written by

Shahul Hameed

Edited by

Siddharth Rawat