The Kyrie Irving saga is finally over for the Brooklyn Nets, but that doesn’t mean they have run out of controversial point guards.
After Thursday’s win over the Chicago Bulls, Kyrie’s newest replacement, Cam Thomas, took a page from his predecessor by speaking a homophobic slur during the post-game media interview.
“He just talking man. We already had good-looking dudes, no homo. You know how it goes,” said Thomas.
Cam was quick to realize his mistake and jumped to make an apology. Unfortunately for the nets guard, the apology wasn’t enough to avoid a hefty fine from the NBA.
The NBA has fined Cam Thomas $40,000 for his use of “derogatory and disparaging” language during his postgame interview last night
Thomas apologized for using an anti-gay slur during the interview pic.twitter.com/hwcYdUr16i
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 10, 2023
It caused a bit of an uproar in the NBA community, as $40,000 is actually a pretty big chunk of Thomas’ salary this year.
https://twitter.com/cbanksburner/status/1624136719770738688
So soft pic.twitter.com/cJ8L5rp9jP
— Blake🍢 (@blakeKD7) February 10, 2023
The Internet is undefeated. pic.twitter.com/bV3JfvEnVO
— Narodni Lač (@Jimmyjoejerkic) February 10, 2023
this is massively blown out of proportion
— alex (@highlightheaven) February 10, 2023
https://twitter.com/ie_rule/status/1624136811319595021
Btw Jokic said the same thing and was only fined 25k @NBA
— ƚɾαყ 🇩🇴 (@FearLeBron) February 10, 2023
NBA players after getting fined: pic.twitter.com/cmQv0CYS9e
— NY Punk (@NYPunk) February 10, 2023
Honestly think his public apology may have been what made the NBA aware of it
— Joey Buckets (@joey_buckets3) February 10, 2023
Who was the reporter referencing in the question, I’d call up that dude to pay half of the fine… Should’ve said something like Spence is sneaky hot but his mom thinks he’s handsome or something, easier to direct jokes to somebody you know. He apologized and it’s over, move on… pic.twitter.com/O8slZu0fjr
— Dean Ski (@SkiSkiGodDamn) February 10, 2023
https://twitter.com/Theylovelus/status/1624136834606571520
If this had been kyrie hed be out for the season and fined 5,000,000 dollars and would lose more endorsements
— Melvin Colón (@mjcolonn) February 10, 2023
Some fans were shocked to see such a severe punishment for what was clearly an honest mistake between two joking teammates, but the NBA has no tolerance for offensive language and will treat Thomas just like any other star who breaks the rules.
What’s Next For The Nets After The Departure Of Star Duo?
Just a few months ago, the Nets looked like one of the best teams in basketball with a duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Now, they have Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, and a head of picks to use over the next decade.
It won’t be an easy transition for the Nets, but there is hope that they can compete and build a culture that they can be proud of for years to come.
“The energy around the group feels like when we had those development years,” said Joe Harris. “There’s just good energy around the team, everyone’s trying to play the right way.”
For teams without an a-list star, playing team basketball is really the only way to find success throughout a long 82-game season.
Cam Thomas is the x-factor for them going forward and his development will be key to their success in the post-KD era.
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