After a tough loss in the opening game against Germany, Japan needed a performance. The Lakers star, Rui Hachimura, stepped up to the plate and delivered with 24 points. But the Japanese soon met his end to the night after a surprising call saw him ejected from the game.

After a review from the officials, Hachimura was charged with a second technical foul and consequently ejected. With the game hanging in the balance, this was detrimental to Japan’s hopes of picking up a dub over the favorites, France. But NBA Twitter saw this differently, as fans accused the officials of hating the Lakers for their decision. In case you’re wondering what exactly happened, here’s the footage:

Fans blast officials over Rui Hachimura’s ejection

“Yep they even hate the Lakers overseas,” an X user wrote after the incident that sent shockwaves around the basketball world. Hachimura seemingly grabbed Rudy Gobert‘s hand which sent the 7-footer tumbling on the floor. That looked like a very common foul but the things were escalated by the officials that led to the ejection.

“All these tweets crying for FIBA refs in the NBA… meanwhile, Rui Hachimura just got kicked out of Japan vs. France for these 2 INSANELY WEAK flagrants,” wrote a second fan. The rules in the NBA and FIBA competition are somewhat different and many have advocated for the FIBA refs to be in the NBA for their clean officiating of the game. But the two calls on Hachimura for unsportsmanlike conduct seemed over the top as the Lakers forward only had minor contacts that were far from malicious.

A fan even went as far as calling for an investigation against the officials who made the decision. “There needs to be an inquiry into the 3 refs for this France vs Japan game. The Hachimura ejection for a normal foul is wild. Then the given 4 point play at the end of the game? Refs really making sure the home team doesn’t flame out.” Apart from the flagrant calls, the four-point play that led to the scores being tied also affected the result. With 10 seconds left on the clock, Max Strazel sank a 3 to level the scores and drew a foul to earn a free throw that forced OT.

Even Bill Simmons joined the bandwagon to disparage the refs. “Ha ha France is getting the craziest home-cooking basketball officiating in recent memory,” the podcaster wrote on X. The home advantage always works in favor of the hosts and even in the Olympics it is no different. But the calls made tonight were undoubtedly a bad look at the event, leading to questions over its integrity.

“One of the most rigged games in Olympics history,” a Lakers fan account wrote with a picture of a close-up shot from the Hachimura incident. The picture shows Hachimura holding Gobert’s shooting hand. There was no downward motion from Hachimura’s left hand but Gobert decided to tumble down anyway. So the reactions of the fans seemed quite justified.

After OT France won 94-90, cementing their spot as group B leaders with 4 points after playing two games. Japan has two points and is third on the table ahead of Brazil who’ll take on Germany shortly. If Rui Hachimura and Co. fail to qualify for the next round, rest assured that these calls will be called out again.

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