Former NBA
All-Star Tim Hardaway apologized again Sunday for his
antigay remarks, telling a Miami television station
that he ''didn't mean'' to say what he said in a south
Florida radio interview last week.
Hardaway, in an
interview at his home with CBS affiliate WFOR,
acknowledged he made a major mistake by saying ''I hate gay
people'' when asked how he would react to having a gay
teammate.
''I don't hate
gay people,'' Hardaway said. ''I'm a good-hearted person.
I interact with people all the time.... I respect people.
For me to say 'hate' was a bad word, and I didn't mean
to use it.''
Hardaway made the
antigay comments Wednesday, a week after John Amaechi
became the first former NBA player to reveal his
homosexuality. Hardaway said he didn't believe gay
players should share a locker room with heterosexual
players, then added, ''I don't like gay people, and I don't
like to be around gay people.''
On Sunday he
acknowledged, ''That was very bad.''
His remarks
quickly drew criticism from both the NBA and several gay and
lesbian groups, and Hardaway said the firestorm surprised
him.
''It was like,
you know, I had killed somebody.... I never knew that this
was going to escalate that high,'' Hardaway said.
Hardaway was
banished from some NBA-sanctioned appearances he was
scheduled to make in Las Vegas as part of the All-Star
weekend. He also lost at least one of his endorsement
deals, and he ordered his name dropped from
advertising at a car wash he owns in Miami, saying he made
that decision to ensure the safety of his employees. He has
also since been relieved of his duties as chief
basketball operations adviser for Trinity Sports,
which was scheduled to have a team for the Continental
Basketball Association.
Hardaway played
parts of 13 NBA seasons with Golden State, Miami, Dallas,
Denver, and Indiana and played in five All-Star games. (AP)