The NBA has fined Roy Hibbert $75,000 after the Indiana Pacers center used a gay slur in one answer and a profanity in another during his news conference Saturday following Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Hibbert ended a response to a question about his defense on Miami Heat star LeBron James with "no homo."

The NBA responded less than 24 hours later, announcing Sunday in a release that Hibbert was fined for "using inappropriate and vulgar language." The fine was handed down after Hibbert issued an apology Sunday morning, saying in a statement that 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," Hibbert said in the statement released by the Pacers. "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."

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.

Although he acknowledged Hibbert's apology, NBA commissioner David Stern said it was "necessary" to penalize the star center.

"While Roy has issued an apology, which is no doubt sincere, a fine is necessary to reinforce that such offensive comments will not be tolerated by the NBA," Stern said.

Earlier Sunday morning, Hibbert reached 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," Hibbert's tweet read. "Would like to discuss something's with you."

Athlete Ally, an activist organization working to end homophobia in sports, addressed Hibbert's comments in a statement released Sunday.

"We are disappointed by Hibbert's comments, as that kind of language is disrespectful, has no place in sports and is antithetical to the NBA's policies," the statement said. "As an official partner of the NBA and NBPA, Athlete Ally works closely with the league on delivering trainings and workshops to educate players about LGBT inclusion and respect. The league is undoubtedly a leader in this area, and Roy's statement of apology clearly recognizes the harms of his comments.