The general counsel for the National Basketball Referees Association asked Michele Roberts for a meeting to discuss the increasing tension between players and referees.

Lee Seham proposed the call to Roberts and they met for more than two hours to discuss several referee-player issues. The NBRA believes the league office has become too lenient in the way players can speak to referees.

Across months of team-by-team union meetings, Roberts said players have consistently raised concerns with her and union staff about the dismissive tone of game officials.

"[In team meetings], the greatest issue of consternation is the officiating," Roberts told ESPN. "I could almost write the script. You'd bring it up, and there would be groans, groans and groans."

Kevin Durant has been ejected three times, while LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis have also been ejected.

"Our players also complained about being ignored, told to 'shut up,' told to 'move' or, in extreme circumstances, hit with a technical," Roberts said.

"There have been four or five occasions when a player has gone to say, 'Hey, what's up with that?' and the official holds his hand up like a stop sign, like, 'I don't have time to talk to you.' ... Lee [Seham] told me, 'That's what they're trained to do.'

"I think it's a horrible idea. I hope someone over in [NBA] basketball operations will maybe reconsider that, because it doesn't serve to be a de-escalation of things -- it really pisses guys off. I don't know whose idea it was, but I hope they revisit the wisdom of it. I mentioned to players who specifically complained, and they weren't happy to hear that it was a part of the training.

"This is more about where they came up to an official and asked, 'What's up with that?' and they've been given a technical for something other than an F-bomb."