From TV One:

Baldwin accused of racial slur

Auckland Stars owner and former Tall Black coach Tab Baldwin is at the centre of a racial slur claim by a former American import at the club.

Tashaan Forehan-Kelly left the Stars along with Daniel Lambert last month and at the time a statement from Basketball New Zealand said the pair were making demands outside the terms of their contract.

But Forehan-Kelly said he made the decision to leave after a heated argument with Baldwin.

“He kind of went crazy on me, yelling at me, he said something about my nappy-headed grandmother bothering me, and kind of like I was bothering him,” said Forehan-Kelly.

“It was like all right man, you try to disrespect me, my family and some other things haven’t gone as I thought they were going to go, I think it’s best for me to move on.

“My team-mates and coaches - I liked them all, I had a great time with all them, and I feel bad actually that I had to do what I had to do. But it’s what I had to do to move on with my career at that point.”

The term “nappy headed” is an insult in the US and came to prominence last month when high profile American broadcaster Don Imus was sacked for using it on-air.

Despite repeated attempts, no one from the Stars would talk to ONE News on Tuesday, but off camera, Baldwin emphatically denied making any racial remark.

He’s also accused Forehan-Kelly of embellishing demands over a car and work visas, adding the American left New Zealand owing a $736 bill at an Auckland apartment complex.

Breakers star Paul Henare is backing Baldwin against the accusations.

“I just can’t believe that anything like this would come out of his mouth. To me it just sounds like sour grapes, and it’s just a shame that something like this is even brought up around Tab Baldwin.”

Despite the saga the Stars top the table in the league at the moment and are still in a strong position to push for a third title in four years.