= 
Noah happened to be in a very bad mood early in Game 3 against the Heat — he'd just reached over the back of LeBron James and been called for his second foul, he'd been yanked midway through the first quarter for Omer Asik, and he was taking his fair share of abuse from the front-row fans behind the Chicago bench.
So he fired back — by using the worst insult he could possibly think of.
It happens to be the same insult Kobe Bryant directed at referee Bennie Adams last month, and it happens to be a very emotionally charged word that's drawn the ire of countless human rights activists in recent years. The "other F word" has made headlines once again.
It's a scandalous story, and there's no way that Noah comes out of it looking like the good guy. He can try as hard as he wants to apologize — in fact, he already has — but the damage is done.
That said, I'd venture to guess two things.
1. Neither Joakim Noah nor Kobe Bryant is a truly homophobic person. Both simply found themselves in the heat of the moment, angry, and searching for a hurtful word to yell. They both made a mistake and chose the wrong one.
2. These are not two isolated incidents. There's a culture of garbage like this being thrown around — at fans, at referees, at opposing players — all over the NBA. Bryant and Noah just happen to be the two unfortunate stars getting caught on national television.
You can fine the hell out of these two players, sure. Kobe got slapped with a hefty $100,000 penalty a month ago, and Noah was fined $50,000. But it's beyond naive to think that skimming a couple millionaires' paychecks is going to solve this problem. It's idiotic. Something bigger has to be done, and this can't be ignored anymore.
It's sadly ironic that this Noah incident happens the same week as the news that Rick Welts, longtime president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns, came out of the closet after years of deliberation. Welts was trying to send a message to the rest of the NBA and the rest of the world — it's OK to be honest about who you are. That's what America's all about.
Then you have Kobe, Noah and no doubt tons of other NBA players saying the same stuff who haven't yet been caught on camera. They're sending the opposite message. Perhaps this is why no active NBA player has ever come out before.
This problem is bigger than the game of basketball. Awareness of homophobia is growing nationwide, as is the campaign to stop the bullying of people in our society we find "different."
Suns stars Grant Hill and Jared Dudley have a new public service announcement declaring that "it's not cool to use the word 'gay' instead of 'dumb' or 'stupid.'" As a matter of fact, it aired at halftime of the Bulls-Heat game on Sunday night. Millions of Americans saw that commercial, but they also saw Noah let loose on a fan on national TV. It sends mixed messages, obviously.
Basketball is an emotional game. Players get fired up in the heat of battle, especially in road playoff games with 20,000 fans booing them. They're going to say insulting stuff. They can't keep the anger bottled up forever.
But there are dozens of names you can throw out there without sparking a national controversy. Call the guy a jerk, call him an idiot, call him any one of the words I probably shouldn't use in this space, but you can get away with on an NBA bench. Just don't use that one anymore.
This problem is a serious one, and by no means is it limited to just Joakim Noah and Kobe Bryant. Maybe instead of trashing Noah and Bryant, we should focus our energy on spreading the word of Hill, Dudley, and every other NBA player working to fix one of the biggest problems in the game today.
What do you think of this Joakim Noah controversy? Share your thoughts below.
