How often have you seen Stephen Curry lose his cool? To see the 36-year-old Three-Point Leader display his uncharacteristic side used to be a rare thing. However, his frustration with the referees and foul calls has increased this season, the more upset we have been seeing the Warriors star.

In the player’s own words, describing the referees’ officiating, “It exhausts me. One thousand percent more than any defense. You get distracted and waste energy yelling at the refs.” Despite this, the player’s recent action, which may have been a culmination of his frustrations, did not speak well for him.

During the ongoing matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets, Stephen Curry drew attention as he attempted to get the ball from Draymond Green while being guarded by Keon Johnson. From the direction Green was looking at, it was fairly obvious that the ball would go to Curry. Therefore, Johnson was resilient in his defense. He pushed the Warriors star and stood like a wall on the side to make him lose his focus. Once Curry got the ball, he straight-out elbowed the player, causing him to fall on his back.

Stephen Curry’s frustration at not being awarded a foul call led to him seeking one against him. Such on-court moments are expected from a few other players, especially when the opposing team is leading. However, Curry, who is known for his cool demeanor, did not do himself any favors by engaging in physical activity. Sure enough, the NBA community made him aware of the same.

NBA fans criticize Stephen Curry for elbowing Keon Johnson: “Steph was frustrated with the physicality.”

Highlighting Steph’s action online, an individual asked whether the sequence of events could be deemed a foul on Steph. One user wrote, “the second one absolutely, looked like steph was frustrated with the physicality”.

It’s not often that the Three-Point Leader lets someone’s defense get to him. If fans know anything about Stephen Curry, he is often looking for an opening to deliver his memorable 3s. No matter what point of the court, they come from. Just a few minutes after elbowing Johnson, the player ended the first half with a bang by making a successful mid-court shot! Therefore, meeting with any sort of physical resistance to his scoring attempt would mean something to the player. When the referees are not blocking it, that frustration only rises.

One individual commented on the incident by writing, “Clear foul omgggg. Suspend steph for the remainder of the season”. Well, suspending someone for one foul may be a bit excessive. After all, even Draymond Green putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and hitting Jusuf Nurkic only earned him a few games’ worth of suspension.

One social media user wrote, “If that isn’t a foul, it’s called NBA is rigged”.

This isn’t the first time that an NBA fan has brought forward a ‘rigged’ claim against the NBA officials. Stephen Curry himself has faced them, with some being in his support while other being against him. Back in December 2024, in the first quarter of a Warriors-Rockets game, Stephen Curry hit a wild triple right under referee Bill Kennedy’s nose. On release, he immediately raised his hands for the foul. Even Kyle Anderson saw the contact, but it missed Kennedy. The referee would later approach Curry and took accountability by saying “My fault”. Despite this, the referee got some blame after the Warriors lost, with one fan stating, “Game was rigged from the start”. ‘Rigged’ is a big word to throw around, and sometimes common mistakes get scrutinized at a whole different level.

One individual wrote “Good call. But he do has a dog in him. Wouldn’t wanna mess with this dude”.

Of course not, as Stephen Curry has shown occasionally that moments similar to the one he shared with Keon Johnson can fuel him to go on a memorable offensive run. To take things personally, like Michael Jordan. During the first ever NBA matchup in which Stephn Curry and Klay Thompson competed against each other, the latter made the mistake of dropping a memorable three-pointer and walking off while doing Curry’s iconic ‘Shimmy’ move.

Curry smiled a bit at that time—but then came out to drop 12 additional points during clutch time. He made a three-pointer to take the lead to 118-114, and the Chef pulled out another one of his iconic gestures: the ‘Night-Night’. A classic example of why one shouldn’t mess with the Warriors star!

One individual defended Stephen Curry by writing, “Yeah but I mean the Nets and that Nets player specifically fouled him the entire quarter so of course the first one they call is a flop against Steph.”

There is a reason why Stephen Curry once claimed that “I’ve thrown a mouthpiece or two … or three … or four” during the ongoing season. The 4x Champion has had it with the calls that so many referees have made against him. Despite this, he continues.

Overall, the majority of reactions criticized Stephen Curry’s action. With the Brooklyn Nets being a close competition throughout the game, it made sense for the player to get frustrated. However, no matter what, that form of physicality does not speak well for anyone.