Kobe Bryant has been a popular point of discussion lately, and it has nothing to do with his game on the court, rather, it has to do with his mouth. Bryant was fined $100K by the NBA for using a gay slur against an NBA official.
It was typical Kobe intensity. He headed to the bench frustrated at the way the game was going and then he proceeded to heckle the referee with a gay slur. The only difference was this time the cameras were watching him. NBA players need to understand that with super slow mo, and high definition televisions, they are literally under a microscope these days more than ever. Is that the worst thing an official has ever been called? I hardly think so.
Kobe has since acknowledged that his comments were wrong, but that hasn’t stopped gay rights groups from jumping on the Kobe hate train. The irony in all of this is that Kobe’s slur comes at a time when the NBA was planning to launch a gay outreach program, to make the league appear more “gay friendly”. Exactly what that means, I’m not sure, I assume it means the NBA welcomes homosexuals with open arms, it’s the first time a major professional sport has devoted such resources and actively attempted to handle the issue. As you would expect, Kobe’s comments didn’t go over so well with commissioner David Stern.
The rest of the league should be concerned though. Every time Kobe Bryant becomes the center of controversy that’s when the Mamba comes out. It’s like his defence mechanism; he turns into an unstoppable force on the court and makes everyone forget why they’re mad at him. Sacramento got their taste of that last night when Kobe hit a clutch three to force the game into OT. The rest of the league might just get their taste in the playoffs.
Kobe has grabbed all of the headlines, but what he said, isn’t nearly as bad as what Charlie Villanueva did. Chucky has been suspended by the NBA for five games for losing his damn mind during and after an altercation with the Cavs Ryan Hollis. Villanueva allegedly tried to escalate the incident by entering the opposing team’s locker room… twice! Let’s hope it wasn’t another hair comment that set him off.
What’s with NBA fights at the Palace of Auburn Hills?
I’m not saying either player’s behavior should be condoned, but I do understand that the sports arena is a different beast and it’s easier said than done to expect these athletes to abide by the same rules that govern society while they are in that arena. That’s why there’s still fighting in hockey.
In case you missed Charlie V lose his marbles…
