MIAMI (AP) — Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah has met with NBA officials and expects to “pay the price” for using an anti-gay slur during Sunday’s third game of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami.
Television cameras captured Noah saying an expletive, followed by the slur toward a fan midway through the first quarter. Noah later apologized for getting “caught up” in the exchange, adding that he meant “no disrespect” to anyone.
Last month, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was fined $100,000 for directing the same slur toward a referee. And last week, Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts revealed he was gay, a rare acknowledgement for someone holding a prominent position in men’s sports.
The NBA has not yet commented on the Noah matter.
