Kobe Bryant: Lakers Superstar Apologizes as NBA Reviews Incident

Kobe Bryant Shown on Camera Using Derogatory Word

During Tuesday night's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs, Kobe Bryant was hit with his 15th technical foul of the season.   After getting frustrated with NBA referee Beanie Adams, Bryant was captured on live television using a derogatory term for a gay person to refer to the official.

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Now there is widespread scrutiny for Bryant's insensitive remarks.  Before the lashing out gets any worse, Bryant has issued a statement apologizing for the incident.  Bryant made a statement via the Lakers Twitter page (@Lakers):

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"What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period."

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NBA players will be the first to tell you that a lot of trash-talking happens during the game.  And berating officials is also a part of the game. 

Bryant added (@Lakers):

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"The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone."

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Bryant, of all people should know that gay slurs should not be said on the basketball court and never directed at an NBA official.  

But he has since apologized and we should leave it at that.

Rasheed Wallace once tried to run into the referee's locker room after a game to "talk" to them. I'm sure Wallace was rather loose with his use of expletives and derogatory remarks at the time.

Should the NBA make an example out of Kobe Bryant and fine him or suspend him for being insensitive to a specific group?

Fine by me.

As long as they also punish Kevin Garnett for calling Charlie Villanueva a cancer patient and give LeBron James his due for using the F-word loosely when confronting a fan.