Amar'e Stoudemire says his comments about not wanting a gay teammate in his locker room were SUPPOSED to be "taken as jokes" ... and he's sorry for offending the LGBT community.
"I want to apologize for my offensive comments against the LGBT community. These remarks were taken from a larger interview where a reporter was asking me hypothetical questions, and all my answers had a comedic undertone."
As we previously reported, Stoudemire -- who's playing pro basketball in Israel -- told a local media outlet he would "shower across the street" if he found out he had a gay teammate.