Former Miami Heat star Tim Hardaway became the first person to sign a petition to get an equal marriage constitutional amendment on Florida’s ballot.

“If you’re married you’re married – you should see your significant other in the hospital, make choices for your significant other if you need to make those choices,” Hardaway said Wednesday night as he showed his support for the effort that would legalize gay marriage in Florida.

At an event at Scully’s Tavern in Kendall, he attached his signature to a petition from Equal Marriage Florida, which wants the state constitution amended to define marriage in Florida as a “union of two persons,” instead of between one man and one woman.

Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages in 2008.

Hardaway has come full circle since a 2007 radio interview.

“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. I’m homophobic,” he said then.

He said Wednesday those comments were “truly, truly wrong.”

Hardaway said gay cousins and relatives of his sat him down and talked with him.

“It was very, very, very heartfelt from them,” he said.