NBA Referee Allegedly Tells Player To 'Stop Being A Little Bitch'

Suns' guard Zabian Dowdell was ejected in the final minute of the Oklahoma City Thunder's blow-out win in Phoenix. That's a bit odd, right? Words must have been serious to earn the ire of NBA referee Ken Mauer under those circumstances. Indeed they were, according to reports. But the most explosive words were apparently coming from Mauer, not Dowdell.

Phoenix radio broadcaster John Gambadoro reported during the episode that Mauer told Dowdell to "stop being a little bitch." That drew a heated reaction from Dowdell and teammate Aaron Brooks, who was also ejected. After the game, SB Nation Arizona's Seth Pollack reports that Dowdell nor his teammates would talk specifically about what was said, but indicated a great measure of disbelief.

UPDATE: The NBA says it is investigating the incident.

Here's what Dowdell told Pollack after the game:

"Disrespectful, that's how it was. I think it was very disrespectful," Dowdell said when asked what the official said to him. "Obviously the game wasn't going the way we wanted it to go. I just think something like that was uncalled for."

Mauer isn't some rookie ref -- he's worked the league since 1986, and is considered one of the NBA's top officials. He's a postseason staple and (unlike some of his brethren) doesn't draw rampant complaints from fans. An episode like this certainly won't trash his career, and assuming the reports are correct, it's a nice little black mark.