J.J. Barea got ejected from the Dallas Mavericks' bench late in Friday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers by referee Scott Foster for saying only, "This is a disaster," the 13-year veteran guard told ESPN.
"[On the first technical foul, Foster] said I was talking too much, but I never said a bad word the whole night," Barea said. "The second one, I just said from the bench, 'This is a disaster.' That's it. But [Foster] has a problem with me. He was at half court! I average maybe three techs a year. I think every time it's him."
Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who sits behind the Dallas bench, quoted a similar comment in his tweet about the ejection.
All JJ said was " you guys are a disaster tonight ". Didn't yell it. Didn't scream it. Was sitting on the bench. Wasn't demonstrative. The ref was all the way across the court. No way anyone heard him. They threw him out.
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) December 1, 2018
Foster, who has 25 seasons of NBA experience, has developed a reputation around the league for being quick-tempered. He was voted the league's worst referee in a 2016 survey of players and coaches conducted by the Los Angeles Times.
Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul publicly mocked Foster after being whistled for a technical in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers last season.
"Yeah, Scott Foster at his finest," Paul said. "You know what I mean? He just never fails.
"Some of them, you can [communicate] with. You've just gotta figure out who you can and you can't. I got a tech tonight. I'm over there with [referee Courtney Kirkland] saying, 'That's Scott, that's Scott,' and I got a tech. That's history there. He the man. That's who they pay to see."
The NBA did not announce a fine for Paul due to the comments.
Barea declined to comment when asked about Foster's reputation.
ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz contributed to this report.