The last 4 decades in the NBA have seen the LA Lakers being the most favored team for fans, globally. Sure, there are others like the Celtics and the Bulls, but the consistency of the LA side with legendary names like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and now LeBron James leading the charge is another level! Despite the downfalls, despite all these years, the Lakers are still relevant. But can their popularity cause the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, to take up a biased view? Well, that’s something to ponder over.

Suns’ star, Devin Booker and Lakers PG D’Angelo discussed a particular matchup on an episode of the ‘Backyard Podcast’, between their teams, where the young player would just randomly “get the whistle” from the referees for foul calls in his favor, allowing him to drop a couple of free throws every now and then. Booker was quick to jump in with his thoughts. “In LA? Ain’t that convenient”, said Booker as Russell chuckled.

And Booker didn’t hold back: “Get it in Brooklyn. That makes sense”. He slyly indicated that the referees might allegedly be handing free-throw calls to the opposing team, working out in their favor! Yikes!

With the LA roster full of scorers like King James, AD, and Russell in their main lineup, the team is better placed offensively than on the defensive side. They have the scoring advantage to hold better positions against their rivals, but they do still get accused of being granted a few free-throw disparities by the officials. One major example of this was in January, when the Toronto Raptors HC, Darko Rajaković was fined $25,000 for accusing the officials of favoring the Lakers. After all, how else can one react when your rival team gets 23 free throws and your roster only gets two in the fourth quarter?

And in the aftermath of the Lakers-Raptors game, Booker didn’t shy away then, too. “You’ve got to love that out of your head coach. I know the players for Toronto respected that.”

Plus, these aren’t the only instances where Booker shed light on certain biases coming in from referees when it comes to the Lakers. In December 2023, in the Lakers vs Suns clash, the LA side won that match, 106-103. But the fans weren’t too happy with the late-game decision after Booker apparently committed a violation, causing the Phoenix side to lose the ball’s possession. And even Booker wasn’t too thrilled about it. “Yeah, when they put so much anticipation on the game,” said Booker when asked if the last-minute decision hurt them. “We’re not asking for favoritism, just a fair chance. … To watch it unfold like that is tough.”

Of course, when you look at these things chronologically, anyone can develop that mindset about the officials. Even Booker did. But, if only he had remembered how things unfolded back in February, he may as well have realized the biased calls regarding fouls and free-throw disparities can go either way.

The Lakers once accused referees of allegedly favoring Devin Booker and co

A highly anticipated rematch between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns in February may have piped down any doubts about any bias towards the former team. After all, they ended up accumulating only eight free throws while the Suns secured over nineteen to their name. As a result, Devin Booker and co took the win by a score of 123-113. Unfortunately, after several accusations being put on them over the free throw disparity, the Lakers’ roster ended up being the one to cry foul.

During a post-game presser, LeBron James was heard stating “A lot of people, a lot of coaches, a lot of teams are like, ‘That’s all the Lakers do is get to the free throw line’. It’s like this narrative out there that that’s all we do is get to the free-throw line. I mean, we have attackers. That’s what we do.” He added to his remarks by stating, “To have eight free throw attempts is definitely not us. I know, definitely, I got hit a couple times when I got to the paint tonight that wasn’t called. But it is what it is.”

The lead scorer was not the only one who believed that the franchise possessed a positive free-throw disparity, but the officiating in the matchup left them frustrated. Then head coach Darvin Ham also spoke out on the same by claiming: “I’m not one to use referees as an excuse, but it’s becoming increasingly tough because of the inconsistency. I’m seeing our guys get the same contact on them as we’re supposedly committing and the whistle’s not being blown. And that’s something we focus on is trying to win the free throw line every game. That’s tough.”

Having played on the NBA court for over 9 years, Devin Booker may know more about the workings of the league than a typical fan. However, if he may have remembered that particular game between the Lakers, he may not have been that quick to point out any favoritism towards the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.