LaMelo Ball Fined $100,000 by NBA for Anti-Gay Slur
After the Charlotte Hornets point guard used a homophobic slur in a post-game interview, the NBA levied the maximum fine possible.
LaMelo Ball, a point guard for the Charlotte Hornets, has been fined $100,000 for using an “offensive and derogatory” anti-gay slur during a post-game interview.
The pro basketball player made the comment on the FanDuel Sports Network following the Hornets’ victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on November 16, according to the Associated Press.
Sideline reporter Shannon Spake asked Ball, a former Rookie of the Year and an All-Star player, about the team’s defensive strategy to limit production from Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, to which Ball replied, “We loaded up. No homo.”
“No homo” is a phrase generally used to clarify that the speaker doesn’t want to be associated with the LGBTQ community.
The National Basketball Association decided to fine Ball the maximum penalty of $100,000 for using homophobic language.
The 23-year-old later addressed the fine after the Hornets lost, 128-114, to the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 17.
“Before we get started, I just want to address the comment yesterday,” he told reporters in a post-game press conference. “I really didn’t mean anything (by it) and don’t want to offend anybody. I’ve got love for everybody, and I don’t discriminate.”
First-year Hornets coach Charles Lee said he had spoken to Ball, whom he characterized as “very apologetic” for the remark.
“As an organization, that is obviously not something we condone,” Lee said. “Our standards and what is required of our players in the environment we create is really important to us.”
Lee added, “He and I talked about it, and he definitely said going forward, ‘I’m going to be better,’ and I want to see that happen. So for somebody to use those words and say that out of his mouth, we will make sure to hold him accountable to that.”
In recent years, the NBA has sought to promote the league as more accepting of LGBTQ fans and players by making those who make such comments pay financially.
Last year, the league fined NBA player Cam Thomas, a guard for the Brooklyn Nets, $40,000 for using the identical phrase as Ball.
However, such actions have rankled conservatives and opponents of political correctness, who argue the league has overstepped its authority by trying to police language that might offend some people.
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