Harlem rapper Cam'ron blames his influence for LaMelo Ball's questionable comment on homophobia
LaMelo Ball is one of the most popular young players in the NBA right now. As such, he's expected to be an example to the younger generation, not only with his play on the basketball court but also with his actions off of it.
That's why the young Charlotte Hornets guard was under fire for his latest remarks. Following a close home win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the former lottery pick closed his interview with "no homo" after talking about how hard they had fought to pull it off.
Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before the league took notice of his comments, fining him $100,000.
Then, in a somewhat crazy turn of events, East Coast hip-hop star Cam'ron took the blame for Ball's comments:
"I blame myself. I really do, man. I blame the east side of Harlem," Cam'ron said on his "Come and Talk 2 me" podcast. "You got this in Jefferson Projects, probably in 1996 when we were saying this. And before that, what the f**k, god damn, we did this a long time. To be honest with you, we started saying pause. We used to say what Melo said, but we were like, the people are sensitive."
LaMelo Ball apologizes for questionable remark
It didn't take long before LaMelo Ball apologized for his comments.
"I really didn't mean anything by it and don't want to offend anybody. I've got love for everybody, and I don't discriminate," said Ball.
His coach, Charles Lee made it loud and clear that neither he nor the organization condoned his comments.
"As an organization, that is obviously not something we condone. Our standards and what is required of our players in the environment we create is really important to us," the coach told the media.
"I spoke to Melo, and he's obviously very apologetic. From what I've seen since I've been around him, he loves everyone. He's a joy to have around the facility, and it’s not typically how he operates. He and I talked about the seriousness of the situation and how he needs to conduct himself going forward."
At the end of the day, it seems like Ball just had a poor choice of words, and he'll definitely learn from this incident, especially now that his pockets got a little lighter.