NBA Stars Are Fined Rp600 Million Due To Antihomosexual Comments

JAKARTA - Anthony Edwards' remarks regarding antihomosexuality resulted in sanctions. The Minnesota star Timberwolves was fined US$40,000 or around Rp600 million.

Edwards delivered the anti-homosexual sentence in a post on social media, according to an official NBA statement.

NBA league head of operations jiwa Spruell said Edwards was fined for using "intinuating and insulting language".

The 21-year-old basketball player was proven to be making fun of a group of men in a video posted on his Instagram page earlier this month.

He called them "queer ass". Queer is often associated with insults to homosexuals.

The video was later deleted. Edwards has also issued an apology.

"What I said was not mature, painful, and disrespectful, and I deeply regret," Edwards said in a statement as quoted by Antara from AFP.

"It is unacceptable to use that language in a painful way, there is absolutely no reason for that," he continued.

The No.1 selected player in the NBA Draft 2020 is one of a number of basketball players fined by the NBA for using offensive language.

In 2021, Kevin Durant was fined $50,000 for indecent words against actor Michael Raparport.

Meanwhile, the late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was fined 100.000 US dollars in 2011 for making an anti-gay slur against an official.