Jason Colls on why there hasn’t been another openly gay NBA player - Outsports

Contents:

• HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL
• JASON COLLS ME OUT 10 YEARS AGO, HERG A PERD OF CREASG GAY VISIBILY MEN’S SPORTS
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY
• JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY
• JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT
• JASON COLLS WEIGHS ON CARL NASSIB’S CISN TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY
• THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY
• ‘THERE IS THAT FEAR’: JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, ON WHY THERE HASN’T BEEN A SEND

HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL

When John Amaechi me out publicly 2007, he was ahead of his time, sharg that he’s gay and a former profsnal basketball player. Sce Colls showed the world you uld be a gay man profsnal basketball, there has been a trickle of gay athlet to follow, most recently former NBA player and current Atralian pro basketball player Isaac Humphri.

Here are the gay men who have blazed a trail on basketball urts around the world.

JASON COLLS ME OUT 10 YEARS AGO, HERG A PERD OF CREASG GAY VISIBILY MEN’S SPORTS

Sce Jim Buzski and I started Outsports 1999, we’d talked about an active gay player the Big Four — MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL — g out publicly. A young, gay Black athlete om the Midwt was an important summ attene that year.

They each happened to be gay. Yet was that private moment wh that young gay Black athlete that my rpect multiplied. Colls has seen the effects of beg out the sport firsthand, talkg repeatedly about one of his former teammat who ed anti-gay slurs the locker room eventually beg a supporter.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

When athlet e out the locker room, the “sual homophobia” of locker-room talk often subsis. Few gay pro athlet have e out men’s sports the last 7 years. In 10 years, Colls remas the only active NBA player to e out publicly (Bill Kennedy is an active gay NBA referee who is out; player John Amaechi me out after retirg).

When Rogers me out MLS, Michael Sam me out the NFL and Colls me out, I was nvced this was the begng of a seri of gay and bi athlet who would e out publicly men’s pro sports. Sce those three gay pro athlet me out the urse of a year, only two active athlet big-time Amerin men’s pro sports have e out publicly while on a team: Coll Mart MLS and Carl Nassib the NFL. -- Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's profsnal sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer and to possibly spire others siar 's a cisn and move that drew praise and support om owner Shad Khan, who was a vol and emphatic supporter of a cy ordance that expand protectns on the grounds of sexual orientatn, genr inty and genr exprsn.

Outsi lebacker Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay and to play a game Associated Prs ntributed to this report. On Febary 23, 2014, Brooklyn Nets center Jason Colls be the first openly gay athlete to play a game the Uned Stat’ four major profsnal leagu.

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY

The 35-year-old journeyman plays 10 srels mut, rerdg two rebounds and five fouls the Nets’ 108-102 victory over the Los Angel May 2013, Colls revealed he is gay a first-person say  Sports Illtrated. And I'm gay, " he wrote. "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playg a major Amerin team sport.

In 2021, Las Vegas Rairs fensive leman Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to announce he is gay.

When Jason Colls revealed he was gay seven years ago, was a historic announcement that seemgly shifted the nversatn about homophobia profsnal male team sports.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

There is not an active openly gay player the NBA or any of the other Amerin major male profsnal leagu: the NFL, MLB and NHL. While Colls regniz there is still a lot of work to be done, he says ’s helpful to be able to pot to the lany of star openly gay profsnal athlet, om Megan Rapoe to Robbie Rodgers. Mayor Pete Buttigieg recently beme the first openly gay ndidate Amerin history to earn printial primary legat toward a major party’s nomatn procs.

JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT

If an openly gay printial ndidate n thrive the rough world of polics — even garnerg support om some nservative Republins agast homophobic sults — then seems like only a matter of time before another NBA player out.

Jason Colls says he's news servicApr 29, 2013, 11:46 AM ETNBA center Jason Colls on Monday announced that he's gay a story for Sports Illtrated, beg the first active player one of the four major Amerin profsnal team sports to announce that he is gay. Me personally gay men the locked room would make me unfortable. As Amerins grow more acceptg of gay rights and same-sex marriage.

Last year, durg his re-electn mpaign, Print Barack Obama announced his support for gay after Colls disclosed his sexualy, Obama reached out by phone, exprsg his support and tellg Colls he was imprsed by his urage, the Whe Hoe Print Bill Clton, whose dghter Chelsea attend Stanford wh Colls, also appld Colls' announcement. "Jason's announcement today is an important moment for profsnal sports and the history of the LGBT [lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr] muny, " he said a statement. "He said the first relative he told he was gay was his nt Teri, who is a superr urt judge San Francis.

JASON COLLS WEIGHS ON CARL NASSIB’S CISN TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY

He said she told him, "I've known you were gay for years, " which ma him "fortable my own sk.

THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

"Colls said he realized he need to make his sexual orientatn public when his former roommate at Stanford, Massachetts ngrsman Joe Kennedy, who is straight, marched Boston's Gay Pri Para last Boston Marathon bombgs earlier this month then rerced to him "that I shouldn't wa for the circumstanc of my g out to be perfect.

"When I told Joe a few weeks ago that I was gay, he was grateful that I tsted him. Colls says he quietly ma a statement for gay rights even while keepg his sexual orientatn a secret.

98 wh the Celtics and Wizards -- 1998 was the year that Matthew Shepard, a gay llege stunt Wyomg, was killed, and the Trevor Project, a suici preventn anizatn, was found. "When I was playg, I had never had nversatns around what meant to be gay.

‘THERE IS THAT FEAR’: JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, ON WHY THERE HASN’T BEEN A SEND

"Sayg 'I'm gay' sets a new standard of honty, openns and teamwork that will posively affect athlet and fans at every level of sports. Jacksonville Jaguars associate strength ach Kev Maxen me out as gay on Thursday what is believed to be a first for a male ach major U.