NEW YORK — Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas denied in a videotaped deposition shown in court Monday that he ever called a female former co-worker a "bitch" or a "ho," but said he didn't think it would be as bad for a black man to call a black woman those names as it would be for a white man.

Thomas said it would have been a violation of his personal code of ethics to have used those words with Anucha Browne Sanders, who has accused him of sexual harassment.

The former NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer went on to say in his deposition that although he was maybe "not supposed to go there," he thought it would be offensive for a white man to call a black woman a "bitch." Browne Sanders had previously testified that Frank Murphy, a white Knicks executive, had said those words to her.

"I am not tolerating that," Thomas said of Murphy's alleged statements. "I am not accepting that."

When he was asked if he thought it was offensive for a black man to call a black woman a "bitch," he said, "Not as much."

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"And I'm sorry to say I do make a distinction," he said. "A white man calling a black woman a bitch is highly offensive."

It was the second time the issue of race was brought into Thomas' trial. Last week, Browne Sanders testified that Thomas became enraged when she tried to get him involved in sales meetings and events relating to season ticket holders.

"I don't give a f--- about these white people," Browne Sanders quoted Thomas as saying.

The video deposition was introduced by attorneys for Browne Sanders.

The trial, which began last week, stems from a suit in which Browne Sanders, who was the Knicks' vice president of marketing and business operations before she was fired in 2006, is asking for $10 million from Thomas and Madison Square Garden. She also accuses the Garden of firing her when she complained about the treatment.

When asked in the deposition if he referred to Browne Sanders as a "ho," Thomas said, "Please, no, come on."

At the end of the deposition segment, an attorney asked Thomas if he ever told anyone that Browne Sanders was attractive, "easy on the eyes" or "distracting to work with" because of her appearance.

"No," Thomas said, laughing.

After the video was shown, Browne Sanders' lawyers called Knicks season ticket-holder Robert Levy to ask him about an open practice on Oct. 30, 2005, during which Browne Sanders claims Thomas made comments about her appearance.

Levy said he was sitting with a friend in the third or fourth row near Gate 1, where Thomas regularly stood to watch games and practices, and noticed Thomas introduce a black woman to a third person.

"I heard him say that it was distracting at times to work with someone who was easy on the eyes," Levy testified. "He had his hand on her shoulder and seemed to be pulling away. She had what I believed was an uncomfortable smile, if you could call it a smile."

Levy said he then immediately turned to his friend and asked if he had heard or seen what had just happened.

"I said to him, 'If I were a lawyer for the Knicks, I'd be concerned about what just happened,'" Levy said.

Green acknowledged under cross-examination that Levy's friend had said he didn't think Browne Sanders had appeared uncomfortable.