The only thing that can cool down Cam Thomas right now is a fine from the NBA league office.
The Brooklyn Nets guard Thomas continued his meteoric rise on Thursday by dropping a 20-6-4 line against the Chicago Bulls. While that represented a coming-back-to-earth for Thomas, who had scored 43 points or more in the last three straight games, he still helped lead the Nets to a 116-105 win.
After the game, Thomas was asked by TNT’s Jared Greenberg about the team’s new trade acquistions and if they would be able to bring the good looks to the Brooklyn locker room. Thomas replied by saying, “We already had good-looking dudes, no homo.”
https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1623879695581446145
The NBA was not happy about Thomas’ comment, saying on Friday that he had been fined $40,000 for using a “derogatory and disparaging” remark (per Chris Haynes of TNT).
Thomas himself also apologized for his comment, calling it “insensitive.”
https://twitter.com/24_camthomas/status/1623887984205479936
The fine for Thomas is consistent with league precedent. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was fined in 2018 for using the “no homo” phrase during a postgame interview. Even as early as 2013, the NBA was punishing players who used that remark.
The 21-year-old Thomas, who has now upped his season scoring average from 6.6 to 10.6 points per game in the span of just over a week, is a player who is very quickly growing in popularity. After one of his recent scoring eruptions, Thomas went viral for some other comments that he made.
