Gay Former NBA Players Take Aim at Stoudemire Over ‘Homophobic’ Comments

Amare Stoudemire
AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File
Dylan Gwinn

**UPDATE**: On Wednesday, Stoudemire apologized for his comments. “I want to apologize for my offensive comments against the LGBT community,” Stoudemire said in a statement. “These remarks were taken from a larger interview where a reporter was asking me hypothetical questions, and all my answers had a comedic undertone.”

Earlier this week, former NBA and current Israeli Premier League player Amar’e Stoudemire let the world know, while somewhat joking, that he would not be comfortable with having a gay player on his team. Today, we can report that two gay, former NBA Players did not see the humor in Stoudemire’s joke.

To recap, when asked about how he would feel if he had to share a locker-room with a gay player, Stoudemire said, “I’m going to shower across the street. Make sure my change of clothes are around the corner. And I’m going to drive … take a different route to the gym.”

When asked if he was joking, Stoudemire replied, “I mean, there’s always a truth within a joke.”

Jason Collins, who publicly announced his homosexuality near the end of his 13-year NBA career took to Twitter to speak out against Stoudemire:

John Amaechi, who revealed his homosexuality after his NBA career concluded, decided to respond to Stoudemire while also taking a thinly-veiled shot at President Trump:

The sports media has spent a considerable amount of time encouraging athletes to speak their political opinions on hot-button issues. I anxiously await their vociferous defense of Stoudemire against these attacks from Collins and Amaechi, while affirming his right to say what he believes.

I’m still waiting.

Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn

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