The man known as “The Extender” may now be looking at a spell on the sidelines.
Longtime NBA referee Scott Foster was the crew chief for Monday’s game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. But Foster was curiously out of action for the fourth quarter as Tre Maddox and Evan Scott closed out the contest as a two-man officiating crew instead.
On Tuesday, the NBA shared a notable update on Foster’s status. Foster had to exit the game due to a calf injury, and no word has been given on his timetable for a return (per Fred Katz of The Athletic).
Scott Foster refs an NBA game
Apr 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; NBA referee Scott Foster looks on during the third quarter between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns during game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The 57-year-old Foster is one of the league’s longest-tenured referees. He is in his 30th career season as an NBA official and entered the 2024-25 campaign having already reffed over 1,900 games (regular season and playoffs).
But Foster is also perhaps the most notorious referee in the NBA right now. That is in part due to his high-profile feuds with some top NBA stars and in part due to Foster’s reputation among fans for supposedly helping to extend playoff series by giving favorable calls to the trailing team.
A calf injury is obviously a concern for someone in their late 50s, especially considering how much running referees do throughout the course of an NBA game. Foster is also one of the league’s most omnipresent refs during the playoffs, which are set to begin in less than a month. In light of the injury that he suffered, Foster’s status for this year’s NBA postseason may now be a real question mark.