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The NBA Referees Social Media Account Took a Dickish Shot at Alaa Abdelnaby While Explaining Backcourt Violation Non-Call
By Sean Barnard
Published:
The Philadelphia 76ers once again found themselves in the midst of a controversial ending, with the refs front and center.
During Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, which the Sixers lost 120-117, they trailed by a point with just 2.5 seconds left to play and the Hawks holding possession.
As Atlanta tried to bleed out the remaining clock, they put the ball in the hands of Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the inbounds play. VJ Edgecombe harassed him to the ball, and the Hawks guard carried it into the backcourt. Several Sixers players and head coach Nick Nurse were quick to spring at the referees in protest of this not being called a backcourt violation. This sentiment was echoed by the Sixers broadcast team of Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby:
Ultimately, no true explanation was given for why this was not whistled during the game. Alexander-Walker knocked down both his free throws and a Quentin Grimes three-point attempt to tie did not fall at the end.
Flash forward to the next day, when the NBA drops the last two-minute reports for each matchup. The goal of this is allegedly transparency and accountability. The L2M report of the Sixers vs. Hawks game confirmed that this was correctly not called backcourt because “Alexander-Walker’s (ATL) momentum carries him into the backcourt, which is legal in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.” –
This felt like an open-and-shut case in which there would be no follow up until the NBA Referees account, which represents the referees association, came over the top with a direct shot at Alaa Abdelnaby for not knowing the rules. It was a very pointed and personal critique for what was a gray area play that had a massive role in the game’s outcome:
This is not me saying that Alaa does not view the game with Sixers lenses on at times, but this is a perfectly acceptable situation to question the officials. I personally had the same reaction watching at home, as did Nick Nurse and most of the Sixers roster.
The Call Itself
Despite the conviction of the referees in the L2M report and online, I still think they got this one wrong.
The example they provided below the initial tweet was a clip of Kelly Olynyk poking the ball free from Domantas Sabonis, when Sabonis’ momentum carries him backcourt as he goes to retrieve it. This was the lone example provided in the “thread” and not a fair comparison to the play in the Sixers vs. Hawks game Not only did the example occur in the flow of play and not on an out of bounds play, but the key part of the play was the ball being poked away by Olynyk. No member of the Sixers had any contract with the ball en route to Alexander-Walker taking it backcourt.
When diving into the NBA rulebook itself, Section III E of the Out of Bounds and Throw-In Section states:
Any ball out-of-bounds in a team’s frontcourt or at the midcourt line cannot be passed into the backcourt. On all backcourt and midcourt violations, the ball shall be awarded to the opposing team at the midcourt line, and must be passed into the frontcourt.
EXCEPTION: During the last two minutes of the fourth period and the last two minutes of any overtime period, the ball may be passed anywhere (frontcourt or backcourt) on the court. However, if the ball is thrown into the frontcourt and an offensive player on the court fails to control the ball and causes it to go into the backcourt, his team may not be the first to touch the ball.
The argument in favor of this not being called a backcourt violation would be the case that Alexander-Walker did not establish possession before heading into the backcourt with the ball, which does not match my eye test for the play.
It should also be noted that the word “momentum,” which is the phrase used in the L2M report, is used just once in the entire rule book and not in any context connected to this type of call.
Bad Look Regardless
But the bigger story is not the call itself. Referees are going to miss calls throughout the year, and we have all learned to live with this. At best, this is a gray-area call that you can make a case in either direction. It is perfectly logical for Alaa Abdelnaby to question if this should have been called a backcourt violation live. Frankly, he would not have been doing his job properly if he had not brought this up as it was a key talking point of the game.
It is, however, beyond the job description for the Official NBA referees account to go after individual announcers in a direct fashion. The goal of the referee reports and putting all this information on such a public stage is to encourage transparency and for people to genuinely learn the intricacies of the sport. Grandstanding like a referee has never made a mistake, and the announcer should think better than to suggest otherwise, undercuts the goal of this entire process. It is unprofessional and off-putting, especially when the account’s bio reads:
“Encouraging communication, dialogue and transparency with NBA fans, while offering expertise from our elite group. Let’s talk.“
If the referees realize they made a mistake, just put their hand up and say that. If the analysis is here that the call actually was correct, then there should be a clearer explanation made for why this is the case outside of a drastically different play as a linked tweet, and insulting the announcer.
Shoutout to Alaa for fighting the good fight for the Sixers, and hopefully he does not back down in sticking it to the NBRA.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.