INDIANAPOLIS, June 2 (UPI) — Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert apologized Sunday for using a derogatory anti-gay slang term during a televised interview.
Hibbert, fresh from a victory over the Miami Heat in Saturday’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, was asked about how tough it was to guard the Heat’s LeBron James underneath the basket.
He ended a response to the question by saying “no homo.”
“I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the postgame press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night,” Hibbert said in a statement released by the Pacers.
“They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television.”
In the same post-game session, the Pacers center also used an expletive when asked about his low vote total in the balloting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
Hibbert could be facing further discipline from the league, likely in the form of a fine, for his comments.
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