Getty Cam Thomas #24 of the Brooklyn Nets brings the ball up court against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter
After Spencer Dinwiddie’s return to the Brooklyn Nets via the Kyrie Irving trade, he joked with reporters that although he and forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who were both acquired in the trade, were not the most talented players in the deal, they were the “best-looking”. After Brooklyn’s win over the Chicago Bulls on February 9, Nets guard Cam Thomas was asked about Dinwiddie’s comments and had a controversial response.
“We already had good-looking guys, no homo.”
Cam Thomas: “We already had good looking guys, no homo.”
Thomas’ remarks have landed him in hot water with the league, as he was fined $40,000 for using “derogatory and disparaging language” on February 10.
“Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas has been fined $40,000 for using derogatory and disparaging language during a live television interview, it was announced Friday by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations,” The NBA said in a statement.
“Thomas made his comments during an on-court interview at the conclusion of the Nets’ 116-105 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 9 at Barclays Center.”
The following was released by the NBA.
The Nets guard took to Twitter following the win over the Bulls to apologize for his remarks.
“I want to apologize for the insensitive word I used in the post-game interview. I was excited about the win and was being playful. I definitely didn’t intend to offend anyone but realize that I probably did. My apologies again. Much love,” Thomas tweeted on February 9.
I want to apologize for the insensitive word I used in the post-game interview. I was excited about the win and was being playful. I definitely didn’t intend to offend anyone, but realize that I probably did. My apologies again. Much love 🫶🏽❤️
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Jacque Vaughn Sounds off on Cam Thomas’ Struggles
Thomas has been the lone bright spot in an otherwise tumultuous February for the Nets. Heading into their matchup against the Bulls, he was averaging 44.7 points per game on 56/56/90 shooting splits in his last three games, giving the Nets a glimpse of what their future could look like in the post-Durant, Kyrie era.
Thomas followed up his three-game burst by scoring 20 points in the Nets’ win over Chicago. However, he did most of his work from the charity stripe, as he was a perfect 13/13 on free throws and just 3-16 from the field. But despite his shooting struggles in Brooklyn’s win, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn is optimistic about Thomas’ future.
“It’s great to see you can’t replicate the fact that he starts, I think, 0-of-6, somewhere around there, from the field and then has a chance to sit on the bench, collect himself, get back into the game and make an impact. And the big piece of that he starts spraying a little bit and getting downhill more. He’s going to garner some more attention,” said Vaughn.
“What I loved about it was he did have some composure throughout the course of the night, and in the second half, he figured out where to get to his spots and drive the basketball. So that was growth within itself because he started not making shots.”
Joe Harris Sounds off on State of Nets Locker Room
The Nets are officially in rebuild mode after the blockbuster trades that sent Kyrie and Durant out of town at this year’s deadline. The superstar era is officially over in Brooklyn, and the Nets have kicked off their rebuild with a win over a Bulls team fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets may not have any All-Star caliber players on their roster anymore, but they have acquired several solid young players, that when combined, could make some noise.
Joe Harris, the last remaining Nets player from the Billy King era, says the current feeling around the Nets locker room now that Irving and Durant are out is similar to his early years as a Net.
“It’s obviously really early, but the energy around the group feels similar to what it was like when we had sort of those development years where guys were kind of finding themselves but there was this good energy around the team,” Harris said after going a scorching 6/9 from beyond the arc in the win over the Bulls.
“Everybody tried hard to play the right way, bought into what the coaches were preaching, and hopefully we can get to that point with this group that we have now.”