Today marks the two year anniversary of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s tragic death. As people share their remembrances of the beloved basketball legend, we were reminded of the time he schooled a homophobic fan on Twitter back in 2013.
It all started when a fan used the word “gay” as an insult:
You’re gay “@Pookeo9: @kobebryant Let’s make out in bed Kobe.”
— SlimPacman (@SlimPacman) February 11, 2013
Bryant quickly responded:
Just letting you know@PacSmoove @pookeo9 that using “your gay” as a way to put someone down ain’t ok! #notcool delete that out ur vocab
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 11, 2013
That’s when another fan chimed in to remind the basketball player of the time he was fined $100,000 by the NBA for calling a referee a “f*cking f*ggot” during a game in 2011.
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Bryant replied:
@onepercentofone @pookeo9 exactly! That wasn’t cool and was ignorant on my part. I own it and learn from it and expect the same from others
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 11, 2013
Though he’s no longer with us, Bryant’s Twitter page remains active, along with these tweets from nearly ten years ago, allowing him to continue being an inspiration and a positive example even after his death.
RIP Kobe.
SDR94103
let’s not forget he raped a young girl.
Jay002
She refused to testify, no case.
Fahd
He may have indeed changed in his attitude toward gay men, which is more than can be said for some current NBA stars – see Kevin Durant, for example, but unfortunately from what I have noticed, the clip of him calling the referee a fa**ot is all over Youtube (in NBA retrospectives). I guess shocking stuff gets the views.
charette8596
Yeah, what a wonderful role model he was. Some people have very selective memories.