The NBA has come down on Joakim Noah, and the Chicago big man is about to be a little lighter in the wallet.
Noah was fined $50,000 by the league on Monday for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals in Miami, according to ESPN.com.
The incident happened during the first quarter of Miami's 96-85 win over the Bulls at American Airlines Arena in Miami.
To his credit, Noah was apologetic and ready to face any consequences.
"The fan said something that was disrespectful towards me," Noah said. "And I went back at him. Got it on camera. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. Anybody who knows me knows that I'm not like that. I'm an open-minded guy. I said the wrong thing and I'm going to pay the consequences — deal with the consequences — like a man. I don't want to be a distraction to the team right now."
Coincidentally, the $50,000 fine is half of what Lakers guard Kobe Bryant received for yelling the same anti-gay slur last month at referee Bennie Adams during a game.
"Kobe's fine included discipline for verbal abuse of a game official," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said when comparing the two incidents on Monday.
