According to an upcoming paper by a University of Pennsylvania professor and a Cornell graduate student, white referees called fouls against black players at a higher rate than they did against white players.
Their study also found that black officials called fouls on white players more frequently than they did against blacks, but the disparity wasn't as great.
"We obviously discuss officiating and our feelings toward it," said Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher, president of the NBA players' association. "But I don't ever recall it being a racially motivated type of conversation where we felt like there were certain guys that had it out for me or him or whoever just because of the color of our skin.
"I don't know that I've ever really felt that there was a racial component to officiating."
