Former Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut spoke on a recent podcast about how the refs let him get away with anything when it came to physical play.
For over a decade, the face of illegal screens in the NBA seemed to be former NBA center Andrew Bogut.
Bogut embraced this identity, saying in 2019 that the illegal screen he set nine seconds into his welcome back to the NBA was his “welcome to the league.”
Andrew Bogut on the illegal screen nine seconds into his debut: “That’s a welcome to the league. We know you set hard screens, so we’re going to blow one early.” pic.twitter.com/Wdd5XG1QjV
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 19, 2019
ClutchPoints’ Mark Abel noted that Bogut, who was the NBL MVP and Defensive Player of the Year that same year, may have been accustomed to a more aggressive style of play in Australia’s league. Even still, Bogut spent many years in the NBA sneaking in illegal screens whenever he could—and apparently, Golden State referees let him get away with it.
Bogut recently spoke on the Ryen Russillo Podcast, delving into why Golden State let him “literally clothesline” opponents without consequence.
Former Warriors center Andrew Bogut explained just how much refs let him slide
On the podcast, Bogut explained that because the Golden State Warriors championship run was so exhilarating for the underdog team, the refs got caught up in the excitement and failed to call fouls on Bogut. Bogut even said that refs would see him clearly make illegal plays and all they would say was “wow.”
"“One thing that was crazy about that run was the s*** that I used to get away with screening, man it was all time.I knew if I was in Milwaukee and I set that I’d foul out in the first quarter, but playing in Golden State, when they started to become that underdog team that was building up, I knew once Steph or Klay got hot, the refs would be in the moment as well.I could literally clothesline someone off the next pindown, I know Klay just hit 3 in a row, the crowd’s on their feet as he’s getting his 4th and I could punch somebody in the face on a screen, knock em out and they wouldn’t call it. Klay would get his 4th 3, and even the refs would go ‘Wow’ (and ignore it), it was crazy.Then I get traded to Dallas to set those same screens and I’d get 3 fouls in the first quarter, It was just crazy with the stuff I used to get away with there.”"
For everyone who implored why Bogut terrorized the league with illegal screens and got away with it, which gave the impression that Golden State didn’t play fair, Bogut himself agrees: he shouldn’t have gotten away with all of those calls.