Stephon Castle admits he and the San Antonio Spurs manipulate the referees sometimes originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
In the 2025-26 season, there has been an uptick in the discourse surrounding officiating and foul calls. Of course, the Oklahoma City Thunder took the brunt of it because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s ability to draw fouls and the team’s physical defense.
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This reached a fever pitch in the 2026 Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. Both teams were physical, and the referees took charge of the games at times. This has led to Stephon Castle admitting that he and the Spurs are well aware of the officials’ impact.
As one of the players at the center of attention during the officiating discourse, it is refreshing for Castle to admit that he wants to take advantage of the refs. He knows selling the contact could go a long way, which is why he does it.
Of course, he also has to deal with some blown calls that go against him. He definitely faced that during the series against OKC, but he and the Spurs still came away with the victory.
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Most players might not talk about fouling and even flopping. However, Castle is open to saying it’s part of the game, and he is ready to keep doing it until it is phased out of the game.
“I don’t really know how to answer that. I sell calls too sometimes. I mean, I can’t lie. It’s really just a feel thing, especially in the Playoffs. If it’s too egregious, the refs are not going to bail you out… I think we talk to the refs a lot, especially me in particular, but most of the time they’re right,” Castle said ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Castle knows the pros and cons of selling contact during games. Thankfully, Castle does not base his game around it, as he still plays hard-nosed defense like no other, as seen during the Western Conference Finals. Now, he can make an impact again, this time against the New York Knicks.
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