Bulls center fined, coach, teammates defend Noah.
Joakim Noah learned his fate Monday for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan during Sunday night's loss to the Miami Heat.
NBA officials fined the Bulls center $50,000 for the outburst.
The amount of the fine comes as a bit of a surprise because many, including Bulls GM Gar Forman, expected Noah to be fined at least as much as Kobe Bryant, who received a $100,000 penalty earlier this season for directing the same gay slur at an official earlier this season.
Noah apologized for using the slur immediately following the game, and again Monday following a film session at the team hotel in Miami, saying he was frustrated because he had just picked up his second foul.
"He said something that was disrespectful toward me and I just lost my cool," the Chicago Tribune reported Noah as saying.
Executive VP John Paxon said he may ask for better security at American Airlines Arena for Tuesday's game, NBC Chicago's Peggy Kusinski reported.
Bulls teammate Luol Deng stuck up for Noah Monday, saying the fan directed a slur regarding his mother and that the fan "just kept going at him," the Tribune reported.
