It's normally the players, not the referees, who are in the spotlight during NBA games. But unfortunately for referee Lauren Holtkamp, she can now count two instances in which her gender has led to questionable comments by the men around her.
During Wednesday night's game between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, Knicks announcer and former NBA star Walt "Clyde" Frazier commented that Holtkamp was "nice-looking" after play-by-play announcer Mike Breen noted how respected she is around the league.
Breen's reaction? "No, no, no, no, no..."
Frazier and Breen had been discussing comments made by Los Angeles Clipper Chris Paul roughly a month ago about Holtkamp, one of two full-time female referees in the NBA, after she issued a technical against him with which he disagreed.
โThis might not be for her," Paul told reporters after the game. (He was later fined $25,000 by the league for the remark.)
Paul later clarified that his comments were based on Holtkamp's call, not her gender.
What's left to be seen is whether Frazier will have similar opinions on the looks of Holtkamp's male colleagues. We won't hold our breath.
(H/T The Washington Post)