LaMelo Ball was fired up, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter — including the game-winning free throws thanks to a bogus foul call on Giants Antetokounmpo — and that earned him a postgame walk-off interview with FanDuel Sports Network’s Shannon Spake. She asked him about the defense on Antetokounmpo’s final shot, which forced him into a mid-ranger, which he missed.
“On that last play, when he took the shot? We loaded up — no homo — but that’s what we wanted, put a hand up and lived with the result.”
That homophobic slur cost Ball $100,000, the NBA announced Sunday. The NBA said the fine was for “an offensive and derogatory comment in a postgame interview.”
This should not be a surprise, the NBA fined Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas $40,000 for a similar comment last season. The league is incredibly conscious of its image and is not going to tolerate this kind of comment, this sent a message other players heard.
Finally healthy, Ball, 23, is having a strong season averaging a career-best 29.6 points on a game while shooting 36.4% from 3, with 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds a night.
