LaMelo Ball during the interview he used the anti-LGBTQ slang phrase ‘no-homo.’ He quickly apologized the following day. Credit: Screen Capture
On the evening of November 16, LaMelo Ball took on a post-game interview with the Hornets’ FanDuel Sports Network after the team’s 115-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. During the interview, apparently thinking not much of it at the time, LaMelo addressed their close win that night: “Yeah, we loaded up — no homo — but that’s what we wanted.”
“No homo” is a slang phrase used to clarify that a statement or action is not meant to be interpreted as having any “homosexual” implications, essentially saying “don’t think I’m gay.” It is generally considered as offensive by many in our community, because it associates purported positive actions with negative connotations about the LGBTQ+ community.
The following day, Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, speaking for the organization, called the comment “offensive and derogatory,” and announced that the NBA would be levying the maximum allowable penalty for the language: a $100,000 fine.
In a following post-game interview on Sunday, reported on by outlets including The Athletic, Ball took a moment before being thundered with questions to address the comment from the night before.
“Before we get started, I just want to address the comment yesterday. I really didn’t mean anything [by it] and don’t want to offend anybody,” Ball said. “I’ve got love for everybody, and I don’t discriminate.”
Behind the scenes, the Hornets first-year head coach Charles Lee was also approached about Ball’s comment from Saturday. Lee told reporters that he spoke with Ball directly afterward to explain the seriousness of the comment and its broader implications, inside and out of Ball’s status as a sports star and influential figure in the NBA. “From what I’ve seen since I’ve been around him, he loves everyone,” Lee said of Ball. “He’s a joy to have around the facility and [this was] not typically how he operates.
“As an organization, that [comment] is obviously not something we condone. Our standards and what is required of our players in the environment we create is really important to us.”
“He and I talked about it and he definitely said going forward, ‘I’m going to be better,’ and I want to see that happen,” Lee said about Ball. “So for somebody to use those words and say that out of his mouth, we will make sure to hold him accountable to that.”