Rasheed Wallace, a basketball player known for being very passionate during games, recently shared a story that gives us a better understanding of why he often argued with NBA referees. While he may not be considered one of the greatest basketball players ever, he had a long 16-year career and was known for being good both on offense and defense. But what really stands out is that he holds the record for getting the most technical fouls in NBA history. This means he had a lot of run-ins with referees.
Rasheed Wallace got stories for days, he found out an NBA ref owned a restaurant and told him if he kept making bad calls he’s gonna get somebody to burn his restaurant down and hack emails😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/dkJ6GTGs49
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There’s one incident that’s especially memorable. It happened when he was playing for the Detroit Pistons. In this incident, Wallace got so frustrated with a referee’s decisions that he threatened to do something really drastic if the referee didn’t start making what he thought were fair calls for his team. He recounted how he warned a referee that he would pay someone to burn down the referee’s restaurant if the questionable calls persisted. Wallace even went as far as to suggest exposing the referee through a paid hacker, highlighting that NBA referees should not take their positions for granted.
“I told one ref, ‘Y’all keep talking sh*t, I’mma pay someone to burn your restaurant.’ I said, ‘Y’all keep f***** me and my team…. this was in Detroit….y’all keep f***** me and my boys. I will hire a hacker to go into your email account’,” :Said Wallace at the ‘Area 21’ show
Wallace’s comments show how he used to get really upset with referees and had a tough time staying calm during his career.
Fans already knew that Wallace was known for being feisty and arguing with referees, but his honest statement gives a different view of how hard it can be for athletes to stay cool when things get heated in a game. It also shows how players and referees get along in pro sports.
During the ‘Area 21’ show, Wallace expressed his lack of respect for referees, referring to them as ‘clowns’ and implying that he believed they unfairly targeted him in various game situations.
