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Bucks’ Damian Lillard calls out referee of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Nick Meyer | Last updated 5/18/24

The Milwaukee Bucks were knocked out of the playoffs earlier this spring but Bucks star Damian Lillard is staying true to his love of sports, most recently sharing a take on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight. Lillard took to his Twitter account, which has over 3.3 million fans, to share a message after a controversial win by Usyk over Fury that had Fury’s camp up in arms and upset with the judges’ final decision.

Lillard’s hot take came amid the Eastern Conference Finals, which are deadlocked at three games apiece between the New York Knickerbockers and Indiana Pacers.

Lillard’s Bucks have been left to pick up the pieces after their playoff exit, which led to a surprising take from former NBA star Matt Barnes on the team’s current head coach. Coach Rivers fired back at a JJ Redick ‘accountability’ blast that has caused Rivers to set the record straight.

On Saturday, Lillard focused on the Tyson Fury fight with pointed words for the officiating of the high profile bout.

Lillard Calls Out Fury-Usyk Referee

Lillard’s take was short and sweet, eliciting the comments of nearly 100 readers while being viewed nearly 150,000 times on X as of Saturday night.

Refs is crazy man smh

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 18, 2024

Fury was pelted with shots from the Ukrainian star and almost hit the canvas during the melee. Speculation is that Lillard was wondering aloud why the referee got in the way of a situation that appeared to be trending toward a knockout in favor of the Ukrainian, who eventually won the fight by decision.

https://x.com/HappyPunch/status/1791973279273517214

The ‘Gypsy King’ lost a split decision at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and will now be left to lick his wounds.

Meanwhile, Usyk has become an undisputed heavyweight champion, the first undisputed champ since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield back in 1999 in Las Vegas.

The Bucks star Lillard is a big-time sports fan who has been known to comment on sporting events of all kinds. He’s also considered one of the Top 75 best players in NBA history, but was unable to lead Milwaukee to the second round of the NBA Playoffs this season after the Pacers beat his Bucks in the first round.

Fans React to Bucks’ Lillard Comment

Fans were outspoken in the comments section of Lillard’s post.

“Rigged match smh,” one fan said.

Another simply added the word ‘rigged,’ seeming to echo the sentiments of others.

Lillard and the Bucks vs. the Pacers.. May 2, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) holds the ball while Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) defends during game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

“Ref is trying to cash too,” another fan added.

While Lillard’s comments were not 100% clear, fans seemed to believe they pertained to the footage shown above, which the Bucks star was believed to be watching at the time.

“Are you saying the fight should have been stopped? If so I strongly disagree,” another fan added.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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