NBA legend Tim Hardaway apologises for ‘raping’ remark in commentary

Basketball legend Tim Hardaway has been forced to apologise after making a rape joke while commentating an NBA game.

Five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway.

Five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway has been forced to apologise after making a rape joke while commentating Tuesday’s NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in California.

Hardaway made the remark after Spurs centre Jakob Poeltl was fouled for illegal contact with Warriors star Steph Curry.

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“Y’all thought that was great (defence), I thought that was just raping him,” he said.

“I think you should have called the police on that.”

Later in the broadcast, Hardaway offered an apology to the viewers.

“Hey everybody, I used a poor choice of words earlier in the broadcast, I want to apologise for that,” he said.

“Let’s get back to the game and let’s finish this game off with a 30-point win and go home happy.”

Tim Hardaway in October. Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis

In 2007, Hardaway faced heavy backlash for homophobic comments on a Miami radio show.

“You know, I hate gay people,” he said at the time.

“You know, I let it be known I don’t like gay people. I don’t like to be around gay people.”

The 56-year-old scored 15,373 points during his NBA careers, representing the Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers.

how shocking that tim hardaway said something awful on a live mic tonight, that's definitely never happened before

— Brady Klopfer (@BradyKlopferNBA) November 15, 2022

“Hey everybody, I used a poor choice of words earlier in the broadcast I wanna apologize for that.”

Tim Hardaway apologizes for his use of the word “rape” while covering the Warriors-Spurs game.pic.twitter.com/7LdiUPdfxb

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) November 15, 2022

The Warriors cruised to a 132-95 victory on Tuesday AEDT, with Golden State’s Jordan Poole scoring 36 points

The Spurs will next face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, while the Warriors will take on the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

Originally published as NBA legend Tim Hardaway apologises for ‘raping’ remark in commentary