The Dallas Mavericks were missing several key players Saturday night in their road game against the Chicago Bulls.
After a few minutes, they were without their head coach, too.
Jason Kidd got ejected by referee Scott Foster less than seven minutes into the first quarter. It was only the second time Kidd had been ejected during his five-year coaching tenure with the Mavericks.
The kerfuffle began when the Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu went up for a layup and Max Christie was called for goaltending with 5:44 left in the first quarter. Kidd wanted to challenge the call, but Foster instead only granted the Mavericks a timeout. Kidd began arguing with Foster, was given a technical foul, kept arguing and was tagged with a second tech, resulting in Kidd being tossed from the game.
Scott Foster ejected Jason Kidd with 5:44 left in the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/cNhhyWrdVp
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 11, 2026
Kidd hasn’t had a lot to be happy about this season. Dallas (14-25) is in the midst of one of its worst seasons in years, despite the solid rookie season from No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg (19.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game). Anthony Davis is injured once again, and his spotty presence is a painful reminder of what the Mavs once had — perhaps the game’s biggest star in Luka Dončić, traded away last season.
For Saturday’s game, the Mavericks were also without P.J. Washington, Brandon Williams and Dereck Lively II.
Foster has angered many coaches, players and fans since he started officiating NBA games in 1994. He’s not shy with the whistle and has been nicknamed “The Extender” because some believe he uses foul calls to extend a playoff series to increase NBA TV revenue. And it’s never been lost on Chris Paul fans that, when he and Foster are on the court in the same game, Paul’s team loses — 13 straight times in the playoffs at one point, as a matter of fact.
There is even a Change.org petition seeking to “Ban Scott Foster from NBA Refereeing” — with close to 600 signatures as of Saturday night. Grievances include betting market reactions, a high rate of technical fouls and “player and coach criticisms.”
In a 2023 poll conducted by The Athletic, NBA players voted Foster the worst referee.
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