Former England international John Amaechi claims the anti-gay comments of another ex-NBA star, Tim Hardaway, are "ridiculous, absurd, petty and bigoted".

Amaechi, born in Boston but raised in Manchester, became the first NBA player to openly acknowledge being gay when his book 'Man in the Middle' was recently published.

Reacting to the news, Hardaway said: "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."

Asked how he would deal with a gay team-mate, he said: "First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team.

"Second of all, if he was on my team, I'd really distance myself from him. I don't think he should be in the locker room when we are in the locker room."

In response Amaechi, a centre for five seasons with Orlando, Utah and Cleveland, told The Miami Herald: "I'm actually tempted to laugh.

"Finally, someone who is honest. It is ridiculous, absurd, petty, bigoted and shows a lack of empathy that is gargantuan and unfathomable.

"But it is honest. And it illustrates the problem better than any of the fuzzy language other people have used so far."