In September 2023, the NBA made Albert Sanders Jr. an Executive Vice President and Head of Referee Operations.
On Thursday, a Luka Doncic fan tweeted that Sanders got the job despite having “no basketball or referee experience.” Additionally, the site re-shared a message from Sanders in 2012 supporting the OKC Thunder, a team often criticized by fans for allegedly receiving favorable calls from referees.
The LA Times’ Dan Woike wrote an article in December 2024 about how Sanders went from “Jefferson High School, one of the worst in Los Angeles,” to the NBA. Sanders excelled in his studies and played basketball at Jefferson before going to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Woike shared that Sanders, an avid “Showtime Lakers” fan, conceded he wouldn’t make the NBA, so the Los Angeles native went to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Sanders worked his way to Capitol Hill, where he became one of the associate counsels of then-U.S. President Barack Obama, according to Woike.
Albert Sanders Jr. left the White House after Obama’s second term in the Oval Office to join Google. Sanders stayed with the tech giants before joining the NBA in 2023.
Woike described Sanders’ NBA role as “improbable” and added:
“He’s never blown a whistle, never called a foul.”
Despite having no refereeing experience, Bryon Spruell, the NBA’s president of league operations, hired Sanders. Spruell called the then-new hire “a proven team leader who excels at bringing key stakeholders together to engage in challenging issues and identify needs and opportunities.”
Since taking on the role, Dan Woike emphasized:
“He’s still a fan – just of the game and not a particular team.”
Still, some fans are trying to “connect the dots” to the Thunder seemingly getting favorable calls with Albert Sanders Jr. as head of referee operations.
Fans React to Speculation OKC Thunder Get Alleged Favorable Calls Due to Albert Sanders Jr.
The X post speculating the OKC Thunder’s alleged advantage in officiating because of Albert Sanders Jr. went viral. One fan reacted:
“Wow, this should be investigated!! Look what OKC went from to what they are now under this tenure.”
Another fan added:
“The NBA is becoming more and more rigged. Let’s not even bring up the refs wearing SGA shoes.”
One more fan continued:
“Head of operations doesn’t do the job on the floor, dumba**.”
Another fan commented:
“Adam Silver is a Knicks fan so that must mean the league is rigged for the Knicks, right?”
One fan tweeted:
“He’s literally a Lakers fan you dumb**.”
The Thunder missed the playoffs in their three previous seasons before Sanders’ hiring. However, Oklahoma City’s improved play couldn’t be due to the executive’s hiring.
OKC, behind its core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, rose from being one of the NBA’s favorite whipping boys to legitimate title contenders.
Last season, the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso pushed them to the top of the NBA. This season, their experience and the improved play of Ajay Mitchell have only made them more formidable.
Some fans see Albert Sanders Jr. as part of the reason for the Thunder’s dominance while others mocked the speculation.
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