Around Los Angeles, Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson is probably best known for being the poor defender who didn't close out well enough on two clutch Derek Fisher three-pointers in Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals. Lakers fans thank him for that, I imagine.
Nelson, as it turns out, has an opinion on Kobe Bryant using a homophobic slur against NBA referee Bennie Adams, and the $100,000 fine the league levied against Bryant as a result. Speaking with Scott Van Pelt on ESPN Radio, Nelson weighed in:
Guys say things on the court, not necessarily to you or in general, not even meaning anything by it. You just get caught up into the game and the heat of the battle and you say something that, obviously, you shouldn’t say.
Nelson goes on to say he believes "a lot of guys would be getting fined every day" if the league disciplined every incident as sharply as it did Bryant's.
Nelson's remarks echo ones Bryant made, also on the radio, regarding the situation. "When you’re in an emotional game and in the heat of the moment, you have outbursts and you say things," Bryant said. "That doesn’t mean you mean what you say."