NBA slams Devin Booker with punishment for epic referee rant after Game 2 vs. Thunder
NBA slams Devin Booker with punishment for epic referee rant after Game 2 vs. Thunder appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
It took the NBA almost a whole day, but the highly anticipated punishment for Phoenix Suns Star Devin Booker after his epic postgame rant about the officiating has officially been announced.
On Thursday evening, the NBA announced a fine of $35,000 for Booker for his postgame comments following the Suns’ 120-107 loss in Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder .
The NBA also added in the statement:
“Following an investigation including multiple interviews and video review, the league found no basis to any claim of bias or misconduct by game officials.”
The league also added: “The NBA also determined that Booker’s technical foul at 2:05 in the third quarter was improperly assessed and it has therefore been rescinded.”
Devin Booker took to the podium last night after the Suns’ Game 2 loss, frustrated with the officials and doing something that he says he’s never done in his 11-year NBA career thus far: call out a referee by name.
“I still haven’t gotten one,” Booker said when asked for an explanation on his technical foul in Game 2. “It’s definitely something that has to be looking it. I heard [Alex] Caruso tell them to call the tech and he ended up doing it. That’s one ref. In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James [Williams] was terrible tonight, through and through. It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as the WWE if they’re not held responsible.”
In the first half, Devin Booker was also called for an offensive foul for elbowing Alex Caruso in the face on his way up for a jumpshot. Upon review, the foul stood, but Booker said the explanation made no sense given what the league allows nowadays.
“Yeah, they said [it was an] unnatural shooting motion that hit Caruso, but Caruso’s moving forward on that,” Booker explained. “If that’s an unnatural shooting motion compared to what guys are doing to get fouls nowadays. You can play them side by side and I’ll let you be the judge. Pull the clips, run it back, I’m surprised this is happening on national TV in playoff games.”
But the rant didn’t end there, as Booker made sure to fully air out his frustrations and made sure he got his money’s worth with the fine he already knew was coming.
“It’s hard, but it just feels disrespectful. I know I haven’t won a championship in this league, but I have been in it for 11 years now, so to get to this point to be treated like that, for me to even be saying something out loud, it’s bad.
“It’s my first time [complaining about the referees] in 11 years, but it’s needed. Whatever, I get fined for it, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration comes from.”
Booker and the Suns aren’t the only ones to call out the league for what they view as favorable treatment of the defending NBA Champion Thunder.
Last postseason, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch called out the Thunder for fouling, “a ton,” and said it was frustrating to play through.
“It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton,” Finch said back in May 2025 . “They really do. They foul. They foul all the time. And then, you can’t really touch Shai. It’s a very frustrating thing and it takes a lot of mental toughness to try to play through it.”
Finch was also ejected just six minutes into the Timberwolves’ game against the Thunder in December 2025 for what he felt was unfair officiating.
Booker finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in Game 2 while shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line in 40 minutes of play. Booker and the Suns’ frustrations, however, go beyond just free throw attempts. They feel the game is just officiated differently when it comes to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Suns and Thunder will both have a couple of days off before their series resumes in Phoenix on Saturday night for Game 3. Phoenix, who is down 0-2 in the series, will essentially be in do-or-die mode given that no team in NBA history has ever come back from down 0-3 to win a series.
This season, Devin Booker was the Suns leading scorer averaging 26.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 3.1 turnovers per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field.
In the first two games of the postseason against the Oklahoma City Thunder, however, the Suns star has averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 4.0 turnovers while shooting 48.4 percent from the field.
Related: Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reveals hand injury after Game 2 win vs. Suns
