Former NBA official Steve Javie decided to set the record straight about whether or not superstars like LeBron James or Kobe Bryant get more calls than the average Joe Blow in the NBA. During ABC’s telecast of Sunday’s game between the Chicago Bulls – Los Angeles Lakers game Javie said that is a misconception and that referees do not blow their whistles more for superstars.
Via USA Today:
“I’d like to hear what Kobe Bryant and LeBron James say, if they get to the line enough,” Javie said to fellow ESPN commentators Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy. “I’m sure they’d say they don’t get to the line enough. There’s one thing: we can’t keep notepads and sit there and say, ‘Well, this superstar has gotten this call, and we’ve gotta elevate this player to the superstar level.’ We just go out there and try to get the plays right.”
Javie has a point. If LeBron has the ball the majority of the game of course he’s going to get more calls than the next guy. But with rumors that the NBA is fixed becoming more prevalent many people believe that the refs intentionally give superstar players more calls. What do you think? Do superstars like LeBron and Kobe get more calls because they’re superstars or because they get more touches?