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NBA Official Ben Taylor Demoted Following Fred VanVleet’s Comments

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Gia Nguyen
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Gia Nguyen Sports Editor

Gia is a Basketball Insiders contributor based in Canada. She graduated from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Science, so she knows the make-up of a winning bet. Gia uses her analytical background to tell stories using the latest data and statistics. Her work has been sourced by Entrepreneur, Inquirer, and more. Gia is also interested in health, wellness, and yoga.

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Updated22 Mar 2023

NBA Official Ben Taylor Demoted Following Fred VanVleet’s Comments

Earlier this month, Fred VanVleet blasted NBA officials following a tough 108-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. In his press conference after the game, VanVleet went on a profane tirade against one referee in particular, targeting head official Ben Taylor.

VanVleet was fined $30,000 for his comments but it seems like the Raptors’ point guard wasn’t too far off base. In fact, he might have had a role in Taylor’s demotion in the weeks following his press conference.

There hasn’t been any confirmation that Taylor has been demoted, but in the recent games he’s officiated, it seems like the NBA referee has taken a step down in the pecking order.

Revisiting VanVleet’s Comments on NBA Official Ben Taylor

VanVleet went after Taylor earlier this month after an awful refereeing job from the NBA officials. According to the Wichita State product, Taylor was handing out fouls that completely changed the momentum of the game.

Against the Clippers two weeks ago, VanVleet picked up four personal fouls with Taylor officiating. During the press conference, he went on to comment on the game-changing technical foul given to him in the third quarter, which gives him a career-high eight this season.

VanVleet specifically called out Taylor, stating that three of his eight technical fouls were handed out by the now demoted referee.

How Was NBA Referee Ben Taylor Demoted?

After the NBA fined VanVleet for his comments on Taylor, there wasn’t much press surrounding the official’s job.

Instead, the NBA quietly Taylor demoted from the chief referee to the No. 2 referee in his recent appearances.

Prior to VanVleet’s outburst, Taylor was the crew chief in 41 of his previous 52 games this season and he had never been designated “referee two” in back-to-back games.

That has since changed.

In Taylor’s last five contests, he has only been crew chief once and listed as “referee two” four times.

Perhaps the NBA reviewed VanVleet’s claims and decided that he might have some merit.

Though no news was made about Taylor’s status, it seems like the NBA has taken action into its own hands and has quietly demoted from being the lead official for the time being.

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