Chicago Bulls centre Joakim Noah apologizes to the fan for the g*y slur
The 26-year-old Chicago Bulls centre Joakim Noah is known as one of the emotional and effusive players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His verbosity has often landed him in trouble. It certainly did on Sunday night during the game-3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.
Noah let the emotions get the better of him and was caught on video using an expletive and an anti-g*y slur toward a fan after he picked up a foul early in Chicago’s 96-85 loss to the Heat. Noah was visibly frustrated after picking a foul against Miami’s LeBron James and after being called on the bench, he turned to his right and starts yelling at one of the spectator at the American Airlines Arena.
However, Noah apologized to the fan for the g*y slur and said, "I apologize," Noah said. "The fan said something to me that I thought was disrespectful, and I got caught up in the moment, and I said some things that I shouldn't have said. I was frustrated and I do not mean no disrespect to anybody. I just got caught up."
Noah’s aggressiveness might be the result of his poor performance in the series so far. Noah has been unable to contain his opposite number, Chris Bosh. Bosh was exceptional in game-1 with 30 points. He then outplayed Noah in game-2 and was simply unstoppable early in the piece in game-3.
The incident also took a toll on his performance on the night. The Bulls centre finished with one point, missing all four shots from the field, with five rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in the defeat. To rub salt on his wounds, Bosh scored a game-high 34 points in the victory.
Noah, admitted that he played terribly and said, "I feel like I could definitely do a better job on the boards, and I need to finish better.” "I am really disappointed in myself with the way I played."
It is not the first time that an NBA star has used a g*y slur. It was only about one and a half month back when Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 in a game against the San Antonio Spurs for allegedly using a g*y slur toward referee Bennie Adams.
Monday probably will not be good to Noah’s bank account as he could face a similarly large fine from NBA commissioner David Stern. However, the Bulls’ big man said he does not “even want to think” about losing the amount of his probable fine.
What will happen tomorrow is yet to be seen. Right now, Noah needs to look in the mirror and question himself, was that the right way to deal his fan? Defeat and victory is a part of game. There is no problem to play emotionally but a professional athlete has to keep his temper in check.
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