NBA Fines Kobe Bryant $100K for Gay Slur

Kobe Bryant not only unleashed a gay slur against an NBA ref last night, he did so in view of TNT's cameras. After outrage mounted today, the league fined him $100,000 and called his actions "offensive and inexcusable." Bryant got ticked off at referee Bennie Adams when he got a technical foul. After yelling "Bennie!" from the bench, Bryant shook his head and mouthed the words "f**cking f**got," reports TMZ.

Gay rights groups issued statements of condemnation today, notes the Los Angeles Times, and Bryant himself responded with an apology: "What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone." (More Kobe Bryant stories.)