NEW YORK -- Amare Stoudemire called Lakers big man Pau Gasol "soft" during a recent appearance at a Foot Locker in Midtown -- and the Knicks All-Star isn't backing down from the statement.

When asked for clarification Tuesday night, Stoudemire told ESPNNewYork.com, "My comment was made and I'm going to stick with it, buddy."

On a video that was uploaded to YouTube on April 2, Stoudemire was asked about competing against Gasol and the notion that the four-time All-Star is "soft."

"Nah, he's still soft," Stoudemire said with a laugh, "but he's a good player, you know what I mean. But he has also help. He has help down there with Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, those 7-footers down there. So he has a supporting cast."

After the Knicks' win over Toronto on Tuesday night, Stoudemire was asked if his comments were taken out of context in the YouTube clip.

"No, I don't think so," he said.

Bynum, the Lakers' center, came to Gasol's defense via Twitter on Sunday, writing on his verified account, "The NBA is a weird place! How can a man that plays 0 defense call a 2 time champion soft?"

Stoudemire is averaging 25.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks this season. Gasol averages 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for the two-time defending champions.