When former NBA center John Amaechi officially came out of the closet last week, many people saw his courageous decision as a sign that the league, as well as the larger world, was becoming more accepting of gay and lesbian people. Unfortunately, all such hopes were dashed yesterday after Tim Hardaway’s interview on the subject. When asked how he felt about gay players in the NBA, Hardaway responded with the following:

“First of all I wouldn’t want them on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, you know, I would really distance myself from him because, uh, I don’t think that is right. I don’t think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room, and it’s just a whole lot of other things and I wouldn’t even be a part of that. But stuff like that is going on and there’s a lot of other people I hear that are like that and still in the closet and don’t want to come out of the closet, but you know I just leave that alone.”

When the interviewer pointed out that his comments were hateful, Hardaway said:

“You know I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don’t like gay people and I don’t like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don’t like it. It shouldn’t be in the world or in the United States. So yeah, I don’t like it.”

At least he was honest.

Although Hardaway’s comments were shocking, hateful, and downright despicable, there is little reason to think that he is alone. The only difference between Hardaway and stars like LeBron James, who recently said that he’d have difficulty trusting a gay teammate, is that Hardaway did not care enough to hide his homophobia. Instead, he offered an opinion that is likely reflective of a large sector of the NBA.

Of course, Hardaway quickly issued an apology saying that he’d “made a mistake” by saying that he hated gay people. Far from contrite, even a quick reading of the statement, shows that his only regret was saying it, not feeling it. Fortunately, NBA has rightly ignored Hardaway’s transparent attempt to save his broadcasting job and canceled all of his upcoming All-Star Weekend appearances.

While I’m happy that the NBA has issued swift and appropriate punishment to Hardaway, I’m nonetheless saddened by his words. At the same time that John Amaechi’s courageous move brings us a step forward, comments like Hardaway’s push us right back. Instead of creating an environment where the world begins to acknowledge the legitmacy of gay and lesbian identities, people like Hardaway reinforce the fear, hate, and ignorance that nourish homophobia.

To hear the interview for yourself: