As anticipated, the NBA has fined Cam Thomas $40,000 for his use of the term, “no homo” after last night’s nationally televised game vs. the Bulls which the league decried as “derogatory and disparaging.”
Here’s the league’s official statement…
Thomas and Spencer Dinwiddie were the stars of the show Thursday and so they got the post-game gig on TNT. Jared Greenberg mentioned that three days ago, Dinwiddie had joked with the media that while the Nets may not have acquired the most talented players in the Kyrie Irving deal, they did get the “the best-looking.”
“And the Nets needed some help in that department,” he added.
The 21-year-old Thomas was asked about Dinwiddie’s assertion and he responded…
Cam Thomas: “We already had good looking guys, no homo.”pic.twitter.com/2SAsuq36EX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 10, 2023
As Greenberg noted, “All right, I’m certain the league office will enjoy that one.”
Thomas quickly apologized on social media.
I want to apologize for the insensitive word I used in the post-game interview. I was excited about the win and was being playful. I definitely didn’t intend to offend anyone, but realize that I probably did. My apologies again. Much love ????????❤️
— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) February 10, 2023
Five years ago, Nikola Jokic was fined $25,000 for a similar incident. OutSports, our SB Nation sister site that covers LGBQT issues in sports, explained the issue with the term…
As apologies go, it’s better than most, but his “no homo” comment was still offensive and uttering it shows how front-of-mind it was, lest someone think complimenting another man’s look was somehow gay.
Last year, a young NBA fan compiled 78 homophobic tweets sent by 36 players that were still live on their Twitter feeds and found 17 instances of “no homo.” As the fan told us, “‘No homo’ as a phrase promotes a negative connotation in regards to gay men, as if we are less-than. It’s still extremely harmful and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to wake up.”
It will be Thomas first NBA fine.
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