Court Club Elite, the company which provided officials for the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships, have decided to end their relationship with the Three Stripes in response to LaVar Ball getting a female ref ejected during Big Ballers’ game against Team BBC last Friday. After he was given a technical foul in the first half for arguing with the official, Ball snapped back, "We need to get someone else in here." After threatening to pull his team off the court if Adidas did not comply with his request, the referee was replaced with someone else.
"The events that led to the removal of a female official on Friday are something that shall not and will not be accepted within the officiating community," Court Club Elite said in a statement to ESPN. "Adidas and their leadership acted in a manner that does not parallel our views on integrity or professionalism, and neither should be compromised as they were in this situation. It was clear that the actions of the official in enforcing and addressing unsporting behavior were defendable and fitting of the behavior displayed; however, the agenda and lack of courage to do the right thing by Adidas leadership sent a clear message that the game and those chosen to protect the integrity were not of priority."
Adidas's spokesperson Madeline Breskin issued the following statement to For The Win on behalf of the company.
“The referee substitutions made during our tournament last week are not in line with our company values. It was the wrong decision. We regret the situation and are looking into the matter to make sure our standards for sportsmanship, equality and fair play are met in the future.
