Kobe Bryant paying for Homophobic Remarks

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

After winning two championships, in as many years, Kobe Bryant has risen to Michael Jordan-like proportions in the NBA. Many of his fans are ready to crown him as the second-coming of "His Airness." Jordan was known for being very aggressive on the court and arguing with referees.

Kobe Bryant has developed the same sort of killer instinct on the court. Right before the playoffs started, Kobe and the Lakers were preparing for the playoffs. In one of their final regular season games, Bryant was called for a foul. Believing he did not commit the foul, Bryant protested.

However, things went too far when Kobe Bryant referred to the referee as a "faggot." News quickly spread through various outlets and Bryant was fined by the league. In an effort to smooth things over, the NBA has turned this into a positive situation. In 2007, John Amaechi, a former NBA player, came out as a gay man and Tim Hardaway made homophobic remarks, but he soon apologized.

Trying to avoid a similar situation, the NBA has partnered the entire the Los Angeles Lakers team with the organization, GLAAD. Throughout their postseason run, Bryant and his Laker teammates will appear in various ads for the organization.