Ejections are always a subject of controversy regarding the players, and adding LeBron James in the same sentence of any controversy, irrespective of the topic, is like adding fuel to the fire.
Recently, Philadelphia 76ers star Patrick Beverley was ejected after he tried to strongly converse with the game officials and without any hesitation, fans were quick to compare the referees treatment towards LeBron James and other players in the league.
Patrick Beverley gets ejected for talking to referee
There is no doubt that Patrick Beverley is one of the most aggressive players in the league. His ruthless trash-talking combined with lockdown defense, often instigates players and leads to altercations and fights on multiple occassion.
While the fouls and ejections given to Patrick Beverley are warranted in most scenarios, the elite defender’s most recent ejection was warranted. The player, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers last year, was talking to the game official with just a hint of aggression, which was fueled by the call given against him—the call Beverley was trying to argue.
However, Beverley was stunned when the referee decided to award the player a technical foul for his argument. When the player protested further, the referee entertained no part of it and shunned him out of the game without any hesitation. The guard had to be held back by the Philadelphia 76ers staff and eventually moved out of the court.
The ejection came as a significant blow to the 76ers, who are already handicapped without the presence of superstar Joel Embiid, who has been diagnosed with a meniscus tear and is out without a timeline set for his return. Without Embiid and Beverley, who is one of the team’s lead orchestrators on defense, the 76ers were unable to push for victory against the Brooklyn Nets and lost the game.
Fans react to Patrick Beverley’s ejection
Fans around the league reacted to Beverley’s ejection, which was deemed unwanted by a vast majority of spectators. Certain fans also decided to compare the treatment given to players such as LeBron James, highlighting the ignorance that is given to James.
On the social media platform Twitter, fans ruthlessly called out the game officials for their misguided judgement.
One user brutally bashed the referees, saying, “This years NBA refs are soft. They need to go back to reffing recreational basketball games! They are making the games about them rather than admitting a mistake they dig their heels in and the NBA falls in line with the refs. If they are too much in their feelings you don’t need to ref a game period. Get off the court. The nba needs to start dining the refs 1k if they make blatantly bad calls. Enough of the garbage.”
Another user compared Patrick Beverley’s ejection to LeBron James, highlighting the irony: “Lebron yells, screams, cusses, throws tantrums and nothing is done.”
A spectator joined in, highlighting the irony of LeBron James once again. They said, “But it’s ok for Bron to argue like this.”
A netizen also criticized the referee in question, saying, “This dude had the worst calls I’ve ever seen at a Grizzlies game last week. Terrible ref.”
With Patrick Beverley’s ejection under speculation, it is safe to say that fans aren’t happy with the officiating in the league, urging the league to step in and make adequate changes that will help the game to thrive.
What are your thoughts on Patrick Beverley’s premature ejection from the game? Should the officiating in the league improve? We are eager to hear your thoughts regarding the situation surrounding Patrick Beverley, so feel free to comment below.
