Former NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire issued an apology for his comments about not wanting a gay teammate in the locker room, saying they were supposed to be “taken as jokes.”
“I want to apologize for my offensive comments against the LGBT community. These remarks were taken from a larger interview where a reporter was asking me hypothetical questions, and all my answers had a comedic undertone.
“The answers I gave were meant to be taken as jokes & I am deeply sorry for offending anyone. I am open to creating a dialogue to assist the fight the LGBT community encounters daily and will continue focus on playing basketball.”
Stoudemire made headlines when the Israeli website Walla Sport asked about his reaction to potentially playing with a gay teammate. Stoudemire said he would “shower across the street” and “take a different route to the gym.”
Since he made the comments, gay former NBA players including John Amaechi and Jason Collins spoke out against Stoudemire.
THIS is what I think of Amar'e Stoudemire.#RoleModelFail @espn @LeBatardShow pic.twitter.com/43KuuJ27WL
— John Amaechi OBE (@JohnAmaechi) March 1, 2017
Very sad & troubling to think that @Amareisreal was just given this award. His homophobic comments have no place in sport or in our society. https://t.co/A81sTzItOi
— Jason Collins (@jasoncollins98) March 1, 2017
