NBA veteran referee Bill Kennedy admitted over the weekend that he’s gay days after the incident with Sacramento Kings point guard Rajon Rondo, who is currently suspended by the league for apparent anti-gay slurs during a recent game where the latter was ejected.

"I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man. I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are,” Kennedy said in a statement via Yahoo Sports.

In the same article, Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, stated that the league supports Kennedy coming out and that they aim for everyone to be “treated with respect and dignity” regardless of the sexual orientation of its members.

Rondo, who has been suspended for one game without pay for “directing a derogatory and offensive term” to an official and “not leaving in a timely matter,” will miss the match against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 15. Rondo has apologized on social media for his actions.

Vlade Divac, the Kings Vice President of Basketball Operations, and Vivek Ranadive, the team owner, both admonished Rondo and stated that they won’t tolerate Rondo’s actions.

"Rajon's comment was disrespectful and offensive, and we wholeheartedly disapprove of any language that discriminates or disparages others based on sexual orientation or anything else. Rajon has apologized and this is not the sort of behavior we condone nor is it representative of the Sacramento Kings organization,” Divac said in the official statement.

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