INDIANAPOLIS -- Roy Hibbert used a gay slur in one answer and a curse to refer to the media in another during his news conference after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, putting himself in line for being disciplined by the NBA.
Hibbert ended a response to a question about his defense on LeBron James with "no homo." Hibbert had drawn a key charge on James in Indiana's 91-77 victory against Miami on Saturday and lamented not providing enough help to teammate Paul George on James in Game 3.
Hibbert apologized Sunday morning in a statement released by the Pacers after reaching out to Jason Collins via Twitter. Collins made headlines in April when he became the first active male pro athlete in a major American sport to come out publicly as gay.
"Hey can I get a follow," the tweet read. "Would like to discuss something's with you."
In the statement, Hibbert said he sincerely has "deep regret over my choice of words last night."
"I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the postgame press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night," the statement read. "They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television. I apologize to those who I have offended, to our fans and to the Pacers' organization."
Later In the late-night news conference, Hibbert was asked why he finished so low in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.
"Y'all m------------- don't watch us play throughout the year to tell you the truth," Hibbert said. "So that's fine. I'm going to be real with you, and I don't care if I get fined. We play and we're not on TV all of the time and reporters are the ones that are voting and it is what it is. And I don't make it, that's fine. I'm still going to do what I have to do."
Hibbert finished 10th in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, won by Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.