Joakim Noah, the Chicago Bull’s center who Sunday night yelled, “Fuck you, faggot,” at an unidentified fan, has apologized — and in record time. Noah’s outburst was caught on camera during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. Chicago lost 96-85.
Video: NBA’s Joakim Noah Pulls A Kobe? Yells Anti-Gay “F” Word Slur
“I apologize,” Noah, the 26 year-​old award-​winning Chicago Bulls basketball player 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 don’t mean no disrespect to anybody. I just got caught up.”
Noah says he expects to be fined for the homophobic slur. The NBA has refused to comment so far, but last month, when Lakers star player Kobe Bryant yelled a similar slur at a referee, he was fined $100,000. Bryant later appeared in a PSA, part of GLSEN’s “Think Before You Speak†campaign produced with the NBA.
Ironically, similar ads were run Sunday night during the Bulls-Heat game.