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6 months ago
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ESPN has come under fire for tapping Chris Paul to join the network's pregame coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The series kicked off when the Pacers took on the Celtics in Game 1 Tuesday night, and fans weren't too pleased when they saw Paul on their screens.
'how is Chris Paul a ESPN analyst for the playoffs' one critic wrote on X.
'How much money was spent and how many layers of approval were gone through for ESPN to land on Chris Paul,' another chimed in.
A third wrote, 'ESPN, I promise you no one wants to hear Chris Paul on the coverage of this game. Literally not a soul. Who is this for??'
ESPN tapped Chris Paul to join the network's coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals
Fans weren't too pleased when they saw Paul on their screens Tuesday night
Others took a more lighthearted approach to their criticism of the future Hall of Famer, who has famously never won a championship
'Chris Paul describing what it takes to win a championship on tv... thought it was ESPN and not Comedy Central,' one person joked.
A second fan added, 'No winners were available? DO BETTER.'
'No winners were available?,' one fan wrote, referencing the fact he hasn't won a championship
'ESPN, I promise you no one wants to hear Chris Paul,' one viewer wrote on X
Some critics took a more lighthearted approach to their criticism of the future Hall of Famer
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 labelled the All-Star point guard one of the 'biggest a**holes' in the league.
'I'm going to tell you, and I know you are recording me, but I get asked all the time: 'Who are some of the tough guys, some of the bad guys?' Bill Spooner told The Athletic.
It came just hours after a retired referee called Paul one of the NBA's 'biggest a**holes'
Spooner, seen here in 2018, officiated for 32 seasons before retiring in 2020
Paul has frequently clashed with referee Scott Foster through the years
'And when I tell them that Chris Paul, in my 32 years in the league, was one of the biggest a**holes I ever dealt with, they say, "Not Rasheed Wallace … or da-da-da?" Nope. Nothing like [Paul],' he went on.
'And they are like, "Oh, he seems like such a nice guy." And I say, "Yeah, he's a great image cultivator."'
Paul has long had issues with one particular referee: Scott Foster.
The 39-year-old is not alone in his dislike of Foster, who was voted the league's worst ref in an anonymous player poll in 2023 from The Athletic.
Nonetheless, Foster - who has been an NBA official since 1994 - maintains a strong standing with the league and has officiated the last 16 NBA Finals.
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