Amar’e Stoudemire shouldn’t quit his day job for a career in comedy.
The former NBA star has come under fire for comments he made Tuesday to Israeli website Walla Sport about how he’d react to playing with a gay teammate. Stoudemire joked he’d go to great lengths to avoid that teammate before admitting he wasn’t really joking.
“I’m going to shower across the street, make sure my change of clothes are around the corner,” Stoudemire said. “And I’m going to drive, take a different route to the gym.”
When the reporter asked if he was joking, Stoudemire said, “I mean, there’s always a truth within a joke.”
Stoudemire, 34, currently plays for Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Premier League.
Predictably, his homophobic statement has drawn plenty of criticism. Hapoel Jerusalem backed him, saying he was only trying to be funny, according to The Jerusalem Post. The Israeli Premier League said in a statement it “regretted” his comments.
The NBA fined Stoudemire $50,000 in 2012 for using a homophobic slur against another user on Twitter. He apologized after the incident, calling himself a “huge supporter of civil rights for all people …”
Five years later and thousands of miles away, he’s up to his tired old tricks again.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
