L.A. Laker Kobe Bryant (pictured), who only two years ago was fined heavily for using an anti-gay slur against a referee, has now become a gay advocate of sorts. The NBA baller scolded one of his Twitter followers for using a homophobic insult on another fan on his social media site.
SEE ALSO: Frank Ocean Fine With Being Disliked
After a fan tweeted to another follower, “You’re gay.” Bryant responded to the homophobic slur:
Kobe Bryant
@kobebryant
Just letting you know@PacSmoove
@pookeo9 that using ‘your gay’ as a way to put someone down ain’t ok!#notcool delete that out ur vocab
Another follower reminded Bryant of the brouhaha caused by a homophobic slur he used nearly two years ago, when after receiving a technical foul in a game against the San Antonio Spurs, the always opinionated player yelled at referee Bennie Adams, “F*cking fa**ot!” while sitting on a bench. Unfortunately, Bryant’s callous circus antics were caught on video for the world to see and hear.
Watch news coverage of Bryant’s outburst here:
SEE ALSO: Maybe Men Can Be Forgiven For Cheating
Bryant wound up publicly apologizing the day after his outburst and said he planned on talking to gay-rights groups and also wanted to “own up” to his comments. He said in a publicly released statement that his comments “should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings toward the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.”
Still, the NBA player was fined $100,000 for his potty mouth and called on the carpet by the Human Rights Campaign, a national lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual civil rights group, who referred to his behavior as a “disgrace.” The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, added an equally critical statement.
Regarding his sudden pro-gay stance, Bryant took complete ownership of his insensitivity to the plight of LGBT community and told the Twitter follower:
Kobe BryantVerified account
@kobebryant 10 Feb
pookeo9 exactly! That wasn’t cool and was ignorant on my part. I own it and learn from it and expect the same from others
