Dwyane Wade Sends Strong Message on Devin Booker Criticizing NBA Refs

By Matthew CoudenContributing WriterShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Dwyane Wade had plenty of calls he disagreed with during his career, so he's fully aware of the plight NBA stars face when trying to make big plays and getting bad calls.That's what occurred with Devin Booker last week in the Phoenix Suns' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the game, a referee issued Booker a technical foul after he tried to save a ball from going out of bounds, and it hit an opposing player.Booker and others were seriously confused over the call, and the Suns' star called it out, along with other fouls from referee James Williams, after the game. The NBA ultimately reviewed the call in question and rescinded that technical on Booker, but also hit him with a $35,000 fine for his critical remarks about the officiating.More news: Stephen A. Smith Calls Out Megan Thee Stallion Over Klay Thompson Drama...After his team's most recent loss, Booker shared his reaction to the fine and rescinded tech at a postgame press conference, giving a classic answer: the NBA said he was correct that it was a bad call, but he wasn't allowed to talk about it.During a recent video chat, Wade reminisced about when he first got into the league and saw star players "go off" on referees, and how, as a younger player, he'd get in trouble for trying to do the same."They've earned it. They get calls that you can't get. So coming into this series right here, OKC has earned the right to get away with things that Phoenix won't get away with," he explained about the referees, adding, "It's not gonna be called straight up."While Wade defended the Thunder's right to get the benefit of the whistle, he also said, "Devin Booker has earned the right to say what he wants to say.""He's one of those guys in the league that don't say a lot of things, you don't see him crying a lot. That's not in his nature. He goes out, and he hoops. So if he says something, let him say his peace. For everybody else, don’t say nothing," Wade said.View this post on XBooker is a five-time NBA All-Star and received a taste of playing in the NBA Finals in 2021. While Phoenix picked up the first two wins at home in that series, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks won four straight to win the championship.Since then, it's been a lot tougher for Booker's postseason chances. He most recently played alongside Kevin Durant, but that didn't result in much playoff success, and KD was sent to the Houston Rockets last July in a seven-team trade.Without Durant, Booker returned to the playoffs this past season thanks to the play-in tournament, and the newest teammates, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, who have both played well since joining the Suns. However, they're facing an uphill battle against the reigning champions, who were looking for a four-game sweep heading into Monday night's Game 4.More news: Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Reveals Strong Reaction to Donte DiVincenzo InjuryFor more about the NBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI GuidelinesRelated PodcastsTop StoriesPoliticsKing Charles and Queen Camilla Meet the Trumps at White House9 min readPoliticsThe Plots Against the Presidents4 min readWorldIran Heads to Russia for Help on US War—Why?6 min readPoliticsFact Check: Did Cole Allen Appear With Usha Vance in 2017…

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