Lakers Organization Speaks Out On Kobe Bryant's Homophobic Slur

Posted on Fri Apr 15th, 2011 10:55am PDT       By X17 Staff

The aftermath from Kobe Bryant's homophobic slur at a recent Lakers game continues. Hoping to put the controversy aside, The Los Angeles Lakers issued the following statement:

"What happened in Tuesday night's game is not representative of what the Lakers stand for. We want to reaffirm our commitment to all our fans and our appreciation for the support we receive from all segments of society. We also understand the importance of positive messages in helping us convey this. We appreciate the input we've received from GLAAD the past two days and will look forward to working with them on ways to help educate ourselves and our fans, and to help keep language like this out of our game."

During Tuesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, Bryant used the word "f**got" while yelling at a referee. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation quickly fired off a letter to the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. The basketball star offered an apology for his actions.

GLAAD also released a statement after learning Kobe had been fined. Read what they had to say ... after the jump.

"In light of this slur, there is a real opportunity to build support for our community and educate fans of Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the NBA about the use of such words. The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a positive step and we look forward to working with them to create messages from players and coaches that combat bullying. We also suggested and will continue to advocate for zero tolerance policies for anti-gay slurs at home games, similar to what the New York Yankees adopted last year.”