Bulls' Noah: $50K Fine for Slur Is 'Fair'

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah said the NBA's decision to fine him $50,000 for directing a gay slur toward a fan is "fair." As the Bulls prepare for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, Noah again—albeit briefly—acknowledged that he messed up: "I made a mistake, learned from it and move on," Noah said. "That's about it." The NBA announced the fine yesterday, one day after television cameras caught Noah saying "f*** off, f*****" after returning to the Chicago bench midway through the opening quarter of Game 3 in Miami.

The $50K fine is only half of the $100,000 Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was slapped with for using the same slur, directed toward a referee, in April. (More Chicago Bulls stories.)