Kobe Bryant has been fined $100,000 by the NBA for being caught calling referee Bennie Adams a "f***ing f****t" during Tuesday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs. Bryant had gone to the bench in a huff after being hit with a technical foul, slapping a towel out of his chair and bellowing at Adams before TV cameras caught him mouthing the slur.
NBA commissioner David Stern, in a statement:
Kobe Bryant's comment during last night's game was offensive and inexcusable. While I'm fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. Accordingly, I have fined Kobe $100,000. 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.
Bryant sort of apologized earlier Wednesday for using the offensive term:
What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.
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