The Brooklyn Nets have found themselves in the headlines yet again -- though this time, there was no superstar demanding a trade.

Rather, Nets standout guard Cam Thomas found himself in hot water for apparently using what some are calling a "homophobic slur" after the new-look Nets (the team just recently traded away All-Universe talents in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this past week) beat the Chicago Bulls on Thursday evening.

Thomas actually struggled mightily from the field in the Nets' 116-105 win over the Bulls, shooting a putrid 3-for-16. Thomas did lead all players in free-throw attempts and makes that game, going a perfect 13-for-13 from the charity stripe.

Regardless of his efficiency, Thomas's performance was enough for him to be one of the players interviewed following the game.

That's when the talented 21-year-old stepped in it, though it should be noted that "it" appears to be a manufactured outrage wholly generated from the far left.

Here's the incident in question:

Cam Thomas: "We already had good looking guys… no homo." 😂#NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/ZnTB9MRtcv

— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) February 10, 2023

As the interviewer was speaking to Thomas and fellow Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, he asked the Nets players about the Kyrie Irving trade.

Specifically, he was jesting about how, while the Dallas Mavericks got the best player in Irving in that trade, the Nets got "the best-looking" players. Dinwiddie had echoed a similar comment a few days earlier when he was first introduced as a Net.

When asked about Dinwiddie's prior joke (Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith were both dealt from the Mavericks to the Nets as part of the Irving deal), Thomas jokingly responded:

"We already had good-looking guys, no homo."

Apparently, the phrase "no homo" set off swaths of LGBT activists, many of whom accused Thomas of being homophobic and labeling that phrase as a "gay slur."

It was enough for the Nets guard to go on Twitter and post an apology:

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 🫶🏽❤️

— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) February 10, 2023

"I want to apologize for the insensitive word I used in the post-game interview," Thomas said on Twitter. "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."

Wholly unnecessary apology aside, Thomas probably sought to swiftly and efficiently sweep this mild controversy under the rug, and continue to focus on a potential Brooklyn playoff push.

Leave it to the NBA to make this an even bigger issue than it needed to be.

The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/DBtgkZ0ZoM

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 10, 2023

Yes, the NBA fined a 21-year-old player $40,000 for using the phrase "no homo" in jest.

Now, $40,000 may be a drop in the bucket to many NBA players, but Thomas is still on his rookie-scale deal. As the 27th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Thomas makes $1.96 million per year, according to Real GM. For Thomas, a $40,000 fine is akin to a two-percent pay cut -- and that's not even counting New York's exorbitant taxes.

This is all to say: Leave it to the blisteringly "woke" NBA to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Not only was this fine completely uncalled for, why, pray tell, is it such a horrific offense to claim that you're not gay, as Thomas did with his joking phrase?

Society and the establishment media make it a point to call out anytime a gay person does anything remotely noteworthy, so a person can't joke about that?

Also, it's not at all clear where the "derogatory and disparaging language" (the NBA's own words) was in the "no homo" comment.

Here are the cold, hard facts: Cam Thomas joked that he had attractive teammates, and then made sure to note that he wasn't gay.

Since the left is so insistent on using and parading around pronouns to describe oneself, it is astounding to see them attack someone who simply described himself.

Oh, wait. It's not astounding at all. This is exactly what the left does and how it prefers to operate.

Unfortunately for young Cam Thomas, he, and his wallet, learned that lesson the hard way.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.