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WFOR-TV/WBFS-TV, Miami contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (CBS) ― A former NBA player from Chicago raised eyebrows for making hateful comments about homosexuals on the very day that former player John Amaechi released a book about being gay in the NBA.

For a five-time All-Star who could be sensational on the basketball court, Tim Hardaway had some sensational things to say on a Miami radio station Wednesday.

"I hate gay people so, I let it be known, I don't like gay people, I don't like to be around gay people," Hardaway said. "I'm homophobic. It shouldn't be in the world, in the United States, I don't like it."

The former Carver High student and NBA star made those comments when asked his reaction about the new book, "Man in the Middle," written by former NBA journeyman Amaechi, the first NBA player to ever publicly admit he is gay.

"Homophobia is not over, even recently," Amaechi said.

Little could Amaechi have known how true those words would ring when CBS 2's Rob Johnson spoke to him Tuesday. He had an unremarkable five-year NBA career with three teams including the Utah Jazz.

His coach was former Chicago Bull Jerry Sloan.

When Sloan was asked if he knew Amaechi was gay, he said he did not, and that it would have made a difference in how he addressed and treated Amaechi.

"I don't know exactly but I always have people's feelings at heart," Sloan said.

"I think a lot of players may have known. Them knowing and me telling them are two different things," Amaechi said.

Northwestern University clinical psychologist Dr. Jenny Conviser says Amaechi's courage is astounding.

"This is not just a story about sport -- it's not just a story about basketball -- this is a story about our culture, which has difficulty with letting people be who they are," Conviser said.

But Hardaway was steadfast in his anti-gay views.

"First of all I wouldn't want him on my team," said Hardaway. "Second of all, if he was on my team I would really distance myself from him because I don't think that's right and I don't think he should be in the locker room when we're in the locker room."

Le Batard took Hardaway to task, pointing out that his comments were 'flatly homophobic' and bigoted. That in turn apparently brought Hardaway to make the remarks about hating gays.

After completing his interview, Hardaway was given a chance to distance himself from those comments, but he stood firmly behind them.

When Jim Berry of WFOR-TV interviewed Hardaway later, he asked the former NBA star if some people might view his remarks as similar to a Caucasian saying he hated African-Americans.

"Probably so," Hardaway said. "I don't condone it, and if people have got problems with it, I'm sorry. I'm saying that I can't stand being around that person, knowing that they sleep with somebody of the same sex."

Berry then asked whether Hardaway would hate a family member who was gay.

"Yeah. I wouldn't talk to them," Hardaway said. When asked why he added: "I just told you. I don't condone it."

In a later interview, Hardaway said he regretted his remarks.

"Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people or anything like that," he said. "That was my mistake."

Still, he has reportedly now been removed from any future NBA-related experiences.

"It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours," NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. More

Amaechi became only the sixth male atlhlete from one of the four major American sports (NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL) to admit he is gay.

Former NFL running back David Kopay, offensive lineman Roy Simmons and defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo just recently came out.

Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics in the 1970s, and Billy Bean, a utility player in the 1980s and 1990s, have also come out.

No player has ever publicly admitted to being gay while currently playing for one of the four major American sports.

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