Kobe Bryant One of the biggest stars of the NBA Kobe Bryant has been fined US $100,000 for calling a referee a "faggot", despite his protest that he didn't mean it literally. The Lakers guard hurled the hateful insult across the court at ref Bennie Adams following a foul call that didn't go his way. "What I said last night should not be taken literally," Bryant later said in a statement. "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." However League Commissioner David Stern disagreed, saying the player's comment 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."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 14th April 2011 - 12:31pm