Former Florida Gator and current Chicago Bulls forward, Joakim Noah, was fined $50,000 by the NBA for shouting a gay slur at a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

50K may seem like a lofty price to pay, but it’s just half the amount ordered of Laker forward, Kobe Bryant, who was fined for a similar comment made to an NBA referee earlier this season.  However, according to NBA spokeman Mark Broussard, ”Kobe’s fine included discipline for verbal abuse of a game official…”

Unlike Bryant, who waited several days before issuing an apology, Noah, who met with NBA officials Monday morning made the following statement:

The fan said something that was disrespectful towards me… And I went back at him. Got it on camera. I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m not like that. I’m an open-minded guy. I said the wrong thing and I’m going to pay the consequences — deal with the consequences — like a man. I don’t want to be a distraction to the team right now.

[Image: HRC/WENN]