Bryant Fined $100,000 For Gay Slur, Activists Demand Apology

LOS ANGELES -- The NBA fined Kobe Bryant $100,000 on Wednesday for using a derogatory gay term in frustration over a referee's call.

NBA Commissioner David Stern issued a swift disciplinary ruling after the five-time NBA champion guard cursed and used a common homophobic slur when referee Bennie Adams called a technical foul on him Tuesday night in the third quarter of Los Angeles' win over the Spurs.

"Kobe Bryant's comment during last night's game was offensive and inexcusable," Stern said. "While I'm fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. ... Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society."

Stern's action drew praise from gay-rights organizations that have demanded a fuller apology from Bryant and the Lakers. Bryant issued a statement earlier Wednesday, saying his words came out of frustration and shouldn't be taken literally.

"We applaud Commissioner Stern and the NBA for not only fining Bryant but for recognizing that slurs and derogatory comments have no place on the basketball court or in society at large," Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said. "We hope such swift and decisive action will send a strong and universal message that this kind of hateful outburst is simply inexcusable no matter what the context."

Bryant's words and actions were captured by TNT's cameras during the network's national broadcast of the Lakers' regular-season home finale.

Bryant punched his chair before taking a seat on the bench and threw a towel on the court near his feet in frustration after picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter. He got his 15th technical of the season for arguing the call, one shy of the cumulative trigger for a one-game NBA suspension.

"What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period," Bryant said in a statement issued through the Lakers. "The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone."

Gay-rights groups denounced Bryant's actions. Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said slurs are unacceptable.

"Professional sports players need to set a better example for young people who use words like this on the playground and in our schools, creating a climate of intolerance and hostility," Barrios said. "The LA Lakers have a responsibility to educate their fans about why this word is unacceptable."

Bryant has edged right up to the line of serious NBA discipline this season, ranking second only to Orlando's Dwight Howard in technical fouls – mostly for arguing with referees. Bryant was called for an additional technical foul that was rescinded Monday.

If Bryant gets another technical foul in the Lakers' season finale at Sacramento on Wednesday night, he would be suspended for the first game of next season.

The Lakers will open the playoffs this weekend at Staples Center.

Comments

[Larkin31]

10:16 PM on 04/14/2011

Bryant is a chump and a boor. This is not surprising. He is a spoiled baby, and his whining is pathetic.

[Carlariz]

07:05 PM on 04/14/2011

Kobe is not Homophobic, so stop the gossip, this was said in the heat of the moment, it is not right but who hasn’t said the F word, ever??? I am guilty of that but I recognize it and move on, I strongly make it an effort to not use words that offend or hurt people, but it happens!!

[Bob Kellerman]

03:07 AM on 04/18/2011

It happens less when you are not a hater who does not admit it to himself

It happens less when you are paid millions of dollars to perform, serve as a role model for endorsements, and keep your personal life and comments out of the news
---- if you are an adult

It "happens" when nothing is your fault -- God came down as an Angel, pried open your dumb mouth, and forced your vocal chords to make the sounds?????????

[Carlariz]

12:11 PM on 04/18/2011

uuugghhhh you had to bring god into it.... you lost me... ha..ha.. Bob, what im saying is that it is not right, people should not be using it but to say that he is Homophobic is outrageous!!

[mogluver]

05:05 PM on 04/14/2011

Have we as a society reached the point where any one can shout slurs in public and have no accountability? Kobe has a responsibility not only to his fans but to the national community to have a higher standard of conduct. It makes no difference if the slur offends one or not, the fact is that the slur was not appropriate, the man was fined, and at the very least he owes an apology to the national community. Personal conduct by public figures should be an example to the larger society.

[Carlariz]

07:01 PM on 04/14/2011

wow... not ignorant at all, nope... not at all.

[Camden Ware]

06:39 PM on 04/16/2011

With your racist comments you are no better than Colby Bryantc

[fiberoptimist]

03:53 PM on 04/14/2011

Oh pul-ease, enough with all the forbidden words and apologies from celebrities. They are people just like us. Judge them by what they do, not what they say.

[sean62965]

04:58 PM on 04/14/2011

Words never cause harm? You keep working with that, see how it pans out.

[fiberoptimist]

06:22 PM on 04/14/2011

Words in a sports arena are just trash talk and not worthy of anyone's attention.

[cable1977]

05:28 PM on 04/14/2011

He is being judged by his employer, the NBA. They certainly have the ability and the desire to maintain a certain image. If he is in violation of that image then they have every right to impose whatever sanctions they see fit.

Try going to work tomorrow, especially if you work in the corporate world, and using a racial, ethnic, or homophobic slur in a very public area on a colleague that gets on your nerves. My money says you'll be unemployed faster than you can say "human resources".

[fiberoptimist]

06:27 PM on 04/14/2011

But, if I attend a corporate seminar on conduct, they might say all of the bad words, but in a different context, so they are ok. It's the intent, not the words themselves that matter.

[ivancheck]

02:54 PM on 04/14/2011

You know, I don't know whether to laugh or cry over this whole, "don't say this", or "don't say that" thing. Think about it, the KKK is given the right to walk up down the street, wearing full Klan gear, shouting racial epithets against African Americans, Catholic and Jewish members of our society, and you don't hear one single PEEP out of the homosexual community, but just let one single thing come out of an actor, sports figure, or even an everyday Joe Blow's (no pun intended) mouth, and then they come out of the closet(no pun intended). I MAKE IT MY DUTY TO WAKE PEOPLE UP about this whole thing about offending someone who is only in a protective class DUE TO WHO THEY ARE PHYSICALLY ATTRACTED TO, and HOW THEY HAVE SEX.
Whenever speaking to homosexuals about being offended, all one has to do is REMIND THEM that they ARE NOT a race, they DID NOT go through hundreds of years of slavery like the JEWS and BLACKS...they are a LIFE-STYLE...PERIOD. Look at all of the life-styles NOT protected: DUCK HUNTERS, PROFESSIONAL CLOWNS, BASS FISHING, MIMES, and PUPPETEERS. If someone made up a negative name, an epithet for a MIME, and people were shouting that word a a basketball game, how many members of the homosexual community do you think would speak out against it? I know, that sounds silly, just like this KOBE story sounds to me..it's only a life-style.

[Jason N]

03:23 PM on 04/14/2011

"you don't hear one single PEEP out of the homosexual community"

Riiighhttt...

"they DID NOT go through hundreds of years of slavery like the JEWS and BLACKS..."

And Jews and Blacks weren't left in concentration camps by the Americans to starve to death under forced labor conditions.... Jews and blacks weren't used in lieu of firewood to burn witches at the stake.... Jews and blacks weren't subjected to shock therapy by their own families and than beaten and thrown on the street by the same family when they didn't "change." Wanna make this a challenge?

"t­hey are a LIFE-STYLE­...PERIOD. "

Really? So you could wake up tomorrow and suddenly be attracted to the same sex out of a conscious choice. We usually call people like you bisexual...

"I know, that sounds silly"

Your entire post sounds silly. Also, learn to use CAPS less, we DON"T NEED YOU SHOUTING AT US.

[elhaow]

03:51 PM on 04/14/2011

quite frankly jason, thank you for even dealing with taking on that comment - I started to compose a draft but as it's hard to argue with nonsense. you did it well!

[mogluver]

04:59 PM on 04/14/2011

Excellent job Jason! F&F

[sean62965]

04:51 PM on 04/14/2011

When, exactly, did you choose to be straight?

[lotus321]

11:54 AM on 04/15/2011

Not a choice, I just am. Just like anyone who is gay..they just are or am I making it too simplistic

[CaliTLC]

02:50 PM on 04/14/2011

Guess talk is NOT cheap. Yikes.

[foolchild0]

02:19 PM on 04/14/2011

Where's the suspension for the first game of the playoffs? $100,000 is nothing to Kobe. Make it really, really hurt.

[CaliTLC]

02:51 PM on 04/14/2011

Where's the precedent for a one game suspension for calling a cursing at a ref?

[Jason N]

04:44 PM on 04/14/2011

I believe Shaq was already.

[Jason N]

01:10 PM on 04/14/2011

"Freedom of speech is limited to bagging on the GOP or the Christian community?"

It'd be best if you actually read the first amendment. The NBA is not the govt, they can regulate their players, coaches, etc. speech as much as they like. The US GOVT. cannot imprison or regulate your speech, and even that has limits (try shouting bomb on an airplane and tell the judge it was just a joke and you have free speech rights).

[Jason N]

01:39 PM on 04/14/2011

Can someone verify that there's an exclamation point for my pic? I have no idea how it got there just wanna be sure it's not just my screen. This site has been picky with my yahoo login lately.

[AngryHarpy]

01:12 PM on 04/14/2011

You really don't understand Freedom of Speech, do you?

[The Cause Endures]

12:42 PM on 04/14/2011

Defending this man just became impossible for me.

[dukesman2000]

12:09 PM on 04/14/2011

I kind of knew the League would not suspend Kobe; the playoffs are coming and Kobe is the cash cow.

[Jason N]

12:35 PM on 04/14/2011

And they rescinded his technical just in case he got another one last night. Can't have an automatic suspension for Kobe!

[allengoldchain]

12:08 PM on 04/14/2011

$100,000... are you kidding me. NBA better use every single dime of that money towards rebuilding a school in the poor areas of LA.

[zest]

11:51 AM on 04/14/2011

If that is how Kobe wishes to portray himself, then I'm fine with it. How's that endorsement thing going Kobe?

[lotus321]

01:53 PM on 04/14/2011

I don't think this will affect his Turkish Airline endorsement

[sgtbattle]

12:01 PM on 04/14/2011

You will be soon, so you be careful what you wish for......

[RDBest]

12:04 PM on 04/14/2011

Sorry, you get second prize. You can be offensive whenever you feel like it.

[dre31]

11:32 AM on 04/14/2011

You better work it momma Kobe and pay that fine. I know he was sorry which was good because it seems to have come from the heart. Most likely, the NBA commissioner wont let off it. So if I was momma Kobe, I would pay the fine and move on.

[lotus321]

11:51 AM on 04/14/2011

Momma Kobe? Are you indicating he has tendencies or being sarcastic.