Chicago Bulls centre Joakim Noah fined $50,000 for the g*y slur
The Chicago Bulls centre Joakim Noah has been fined $50,000 for a profanity laced g*y slur toward a fan during a 96-85 defeat against the Miami Heat in game-3 of the Eastern Conference finals at the American Airlines Arena.
Sunday was a tough night for Noah as he got into a foul trouble early in the first quarter. In addition to that, he got the second foul against LeBron James of the Heat with more than six minutes to go in the quarter. After briefly
arguing the call, the 26-year-old went to the bench and started yelling at one of the fan to his right.
However, Noah showed up for his national apology for the g*y slur on Monday afternoon at the Bulls team hotel. Noah admitted he was sorry for directing an anti-g*y slur and 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 was perhaps the result of his poor performance in the series so far. Noah has faced a lot of criticism during this series as he has been unable to contain his Miami’s centre, Chris Bosh. Bosh was exceptional
in game-1 with 30 points. He then ruffled Noah again in game-2 and also hounded him at the start of the game-3. Noah eventually finished the night with just one point, five rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. The Bulls centre missed all four shots from
the field.
Noah himself was not happy with his performance in the defeat of Chicago as he said after the game, "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."
This is the not the first time in recent months that an NBA player has been involved in a g*y slurs. On April 12, the Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for using an expletive against referee Bennie
Adams in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. However, Noah was lucky enough not be slapped with the same fine.
This latest incident has highlighted another very important issue for the NBA administration. The spectator who provoked Noah was reportedly intoxicated and said something about his mother. The National Basketball Association (NBA)
at present, does fine fans for being drunk and using profane language against the players. However, the high price of the ticket paid by the fans does not buy the right to be rude with the players. Therefore, steps are required by the league in this regard
and fans have to be held accountable too.
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