Ausar Thompson was kicked out of Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks right after arguing about a foul call and making what appeared to be very light contact with a referee. The Pistons player got thrown out almost immediately after getting very close to official John Goble’s face following a controversial play near the basket. This was a huge loss for Detroit because Thompson is one of their most important players on both offense and defense.
According to Sports Illustrated, the incident happened near halftime during a fast-moving game that had several top draft picks playing, including Pistons star Cade Cunningham. The night quickly turned sour for Detroit because of their total frustration with the referees and how they were calling the game.
The play that led to the ejection started when Thompson and Pistons center Jalen Duren were fighting for a rebound against several Mavericks players. Dallas guard Ryan Nembhard ended up with the ball, and Thompson was called for a foul. Thompson clearly thought he was the one who got fouled on the play, and he reacted right away. He went up to Goble, and while the contact between the player and the official was very slight, it was enough to get him a technical foul for touching an official.
The contact looked incredibly minimal for such a harsh punishment
When you watch the replay, it looks like Thompson barely touched the official. It was accidental contact at most, and it definitely wasn’t aggressive or forceful. Many fans watching the play immediately went to social media to complain, calling the decision confusing and unfair. One fan called it a “top 3 worst ejection” they had ever seen in basketball.
How fast the call happened really shocked people. One reporter said, “WOW. They just ejected Ausar. He’s heated. That happened so fast.” Most people agreed that the punishment was way too harsh for what actually happened.
One person pointed out that a different star player was recently seen grabbing an official without even getting a technical foul, which made this ejection look even worse. The NBA has seen similar controversies recently, including Emmanuel Acho’s comments about LeBron James and how players are perceived around the league.
Thompson’s early exit was only the beginning of Detroit’s problems with the officials that night. The team was clearly unhappy with the calls, and their frustration kept growing. Just before halftime, Cunningham got a technical foul. Then, as the team walked to the locker room for the break, Coach J.B. Bickerstaff got into a heated argument with the officials and received his own technical foul.
Detroit had a terrible night dealing with the referees. Losing Thompson so early was a major problem, especially since he was playing really well. Before his night ended after just nine minutes on the court, he had already scored eight points and grabbed two rebounds and two assists.
Other NBA stars have also dealt with frustration this season, with Giannis Antetokounmpo addressing his future plans amid ongoing challenges with the Bucks. The contact looked so light that many people wonder if the league will review this instant ejection, since it seems like a huge overreaction by the official.
Published: Dec 20, 2025 11:00 am