Tim Hardaway Believes Homophobic Rant Is Keeping Him Out Of Hall Of Fame

During the late 90s, the Golden State Warriors had a powerhouse team of their own, with players like Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin leading the charge. The other member of the that big three was Tim Hardaway. While Mullin and Richmond are already well into the Hall of Fame, Hardaway is the only player to have not been given the honor. In a recent interview, Hardaway explains that he believes it’s due to his comments about gay people back in 2007.

“Well, you know, the reason I’m not in is because of what I said in 2007 about gay people,” Hardaway said according to ESPN via Hoops Hype. “That’s why I’m not in right now, and I understand it. I hurt a lot of people’s feelings and it came off the wrong way and it was really bad of me to say that. Since then, I’ve turned a wrong into a right. My parents used to always tell me, ‘If you do something wrong, look it in the eye. Don’t back down from it and be scared of it. Go make it right and make people understand that you made a mistake.'”

Brian Bedder/Getty Images for The Miami Project

Hardaway’s comments about gay people became famous as he was asked about his thoughts on the topic in relation to the coming out of John Amaechi, who Hardaway played with in Orlando.

“You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known,” Hardaway told Dan Le Batard on Miami radio. “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.”

Since that rant, Hardaway has made various efforts to right his wrongs and has contributed to LGBTQ groups in order to raise awareness and legalize same-sex marriage.