NBA referee Tony Brothers Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Spencer Dinwiddie says ref called him profane name after tech

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 11/5/22

Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie allegedly got under the skin of referee Tony Brothers Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

During the Mavericks' 111-110 victory over the Raptors, Dinwiddie was given a technical foul in the second quarter by longtime NBA referee Tony Brothers. While nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the time, Dinwiddie revealed after the game that Brothers referred to him using some rather unkind language.

Spencer Dinwiddie says referee Tony Brothers referred to him as a "bitch ass motherf—er" to a Mavs teammate after calling Dinwiddie for a technical foul.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 5, 2022

While it's unclear what may have caused Brothers to lash out, Dinwiddie said a clap "seemed to keep him irate" and that maybe the referee found that "disrespectful."

"If you watch the games, and I know that's what refs are supposed to do, you'll see that I get the attention of my teammates, things of that nature," Dinwiddie said. "So, it was nothing personal. So, as a man, I would like to say I'm sorry, first and foremost, and secondarily, I would like to say, not only would I like my money back, but I would like to not be called a b---- a-- mother------ to my teammates."

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd addressed the situation between Dinwiddie and Brothers.

"That's tough. I have to talk to Spencer," Kidd said. "When you look at Tony and what he's done in this league as a referee, he's well-liked and also one of the best we have.

"I'm going to see what happened here; talk to Spencer and find out exactly what happened.

More must-reads: