This is not the day for basketball stars’ reputations!

According to TMZ, two top basketball stars are currently in the midst of a PR nightmare:

Apparently during a Lakers game last night, Kobe Bryant hurled a homophobic slur at a referee, and videos seem to show it quite clear: Kobe appears to be calling the ref a “f***ing fa**ot.” The announcer covering the event then comments “You might wanna take the cameras off of him right now, for the children watching.”

According to reports, GLAAD and other GLBT groups are outraged and now Kobe may face suspension. Although the initial response from the NBA was that they couldn’t be sure what Kobe actually said, Kobe has made an official statement, saying

“My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period… The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.”

We’ll keep you updated on Kobe’s status as the story unfolds.

He’s not the only NBA player under scrutiny…

…but this is a problem with a basketball star’s family:  Miami Heat player Lebron James’ mother. According to reports, Gloria James allegedly slapped and assaulted a valet in Miami Beach, and the valet is now claiming that she spat a racial slur at him, calling him a “f***ing n***er”. The valet is now suing her, and has a surveillance tape to prove that he was not the aggressor.

When asked about the story, Lebron was quoted saying that it was a “sensitive subject.”

Once again, we’ll keep you updated on the current sh**-storm surrounding two of the greatest players in the game!