ESPN viewers slam Chris Paul’s Eastern Conference Finals pregame coverage… the same day he was labelled the ‘biggest a**hole’ in the NBA
ESPN has come under fire for bringing in Chris Paul to join the network’s pregame coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The series kicked off on Tuesday night when the Pacers took on the Celtics in Game 1, and fans weren’t too happy to see Paul on their screens.
“How is Chris Paul an ESPN analyst for the playoffs,” one critic wrote on X.
“How much money was spent and how many layers of approval went through before ESPN landed on Chris Paul,” said another.
A third wrote: ‘It’s a decision that ESPN has Chris Paul in an attempt to make their coverage invisible.’
ESPN brought in Chris Paul to join the network’s coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals
“ESPN, I promise no one wants to hear Chris Paul,” one viewer wrote on X
Others took a more light-hearted approach to their criticism of the future Hall of Famer, who is known for never having won a championship.
“Chris Paul describes what it takes to win a championship on TV…thought it was ESPN and not Comedy Central,” one person joked.
A second fan added: ‘Are there no winners available? DO BETTER,” while a third wrote, “ESPN, I promise no one wants to hear Chris Paul on the coverage of this game. Literally not a soul. Who is this for??’
Paul’s NBA season ended last month when the Warriors suffered a play-in loss to the Sacramento Kings.
His ESPN appearance came a few hours after a retired NBA referee called the All-Star point guard one of the “biggest assholes” in the league.
“I’m going to tell you, and I know you’re recording me, but I get asked all the time, ‘Who are the tough guys, the bad guys?’ Bill Spooner told it The Athletics.
It came just hours after a retired referee called Paul one of the NBA’s “biggest assholes.”
Spooner, seen here in 2018, served for 32 seasons before retiring in 2020
Paul has had frequent clashes with referee Scott Foster over the years
“And when I tell them that Chris Paul, in my 32 years in the league, was one of the biggest assholes I’ve ever dealt with, they say, ‘Not Rasheed Wallace… or pa-da-da?’ No. Nothing like it [Paul],’ he continued.
“And they say, ‘Oh, he seems like such a nice guy.’ And I say, ‘Yes, he’s a great image cultivator.'”
Paul has long had problems with one particular referee: Scott Foster.
The 39-year-old is not alone in his distaste for Foster, who was named the league’s worst referee by The Athletic in an anonymous player survey in 2023.
Still, Foster, who has been an NBA official since 1994, has a strong presence in the league and has officiated the last 16 NBA Finals.