6 gay pro basketball players who have been out while petg - Outsports

Contents:

• HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL
• SEEKG ALLI: FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER LLS ON LEAGUE STARS TO JO THE E
• JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY
• JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY
• 5 GAY ATHLET WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• FORMER NBA, KENTUCKY PLAYER ISAAC HUMPHRI OUT AS ONLY ACTIVE GAY PLAYER TOP-TIER MEN'S BASKETBALL
• THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY
• THE LIST OF GAY BASKETBALL PLAYERS NTU TO GROW WH ANOTHER G OUT
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY
• ATRALIAN NBL, FORMER KENTUCKY CENTER ISAAC HUMPHRI ANNOUNC HE’S GAY EMOTNAL TALK WH TEAMMAT
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, REFLECTS ON LEGACY, LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

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.

SEEKG ALLI: FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER LLS ON LEAGUE STARS TO JO THE E

Here are the gay men who have blazed a trail on basketball urts around the world. PHOENIX – The first openly-gay active NBA player lled on current players to show their support and be alli to the LGBT muny.

Colls was the first openly gay man to e out while petg one of the four major profsnal leagu.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

“Before I me out, people who ed homophobic language were fed a mimum of $50, 000.

“I thk our players are vol and outspoken, and when your players want to lead, then they have to lead, ” said Kozar, who is openly gay and an advote for LGBT rights. The WNBA don’t have the same number of viewers as the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB, but did have an openly gay player Sheryl Swoop before any of the men’s sports league.

In 1998, Giuliano was the first openly gay mayor the Uned Stat to be elected to office.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

Colls also noted that there’s an entire world wag for the next openly gay athlete to emerge team sports. 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.

"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playg a major Amerin team sport.

5 GAY ATHLET WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

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

"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.

FORMER NBA, KENTUCKY PLAYER ISAAC HUMPHRI OUT AS ONLY ACTIVE GAY PLAYER TOP-TIER MEN'S BASKETBALL

"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.

THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

"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.

This past September, was seven years sce I wrote, this magaze, “The Last Closet, ” a feature about the total sany that, September 2011, there were no openly gay players the four major North Amerin men’s profsnal sports leagu. Sports seemed like the last bastn of this sort of homophobia left Amerin life, but did seem like that taboo was … looseng, at least, wh sports culture. “It’s almost like homophobia is no longer nsired ol sports.

THE LIST OF GAY BASKETBALL PLAYERS NTU TO GROW WH ANOTHER G OUT

A year after that, the Rams drafted openly gay fensive end Michael Sam the seventh round of the NFL draft, and he kissed his boyiend celebratn live on ESPN’s airwav; his jersey quickly beme the send-bt-sellg the NFL.

There were more openly gay speakers at Tmp’s Republin Natnal Conventn than there are openly gay players men’s sports today. Obvly, there are gay players the sports, surely dozens of them.

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

But wh this particular story, there was an unniable unrcurrent of homophobia and transphobia throughout. And culturally speakg, like wh other major men’s sports, the NBA still has no openly gay players. It would be like Nike standg up for pro-gay but nspicuoly havg no gay employe self — an absurdy.

ATRALIAN NBL, FORMER KENTUCKY CENTER ISAAC HUMPHRI ANNOUNC HE’S GAY EMOTNAL TALK WH TEAMMAT

After all, wasn’t long ago that LeBron Jam — who now is wily nsired a strong LGBT advote — was sayg that if you were gay and not tellg your teammat about , you were beg “untstworthy. ” He, like many players, has changed his tune sce then — Jam, forever a bsman, certaly saw the public relatns value evolvg as well — but ’s still rather mon to hear anti-gay sentiment om players; Amar’e Stoumire had to apologize for remarks he ma jt last year.

And, aga: There are no openly gay players the NBA. But to learn that the league’s most hard-re fans appear to be as ristant to an openly gay player as some of his hypothetil teammat would be … well, we may have even further to travel than any of realized. Derrick Gordon, the first openly gay player Divisn 1 llege basketball acced the NBA of not givg him a fair shot to try out bee of his sexualy.

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, REFLECTS ON LEGACY, LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

“Hontly, the NBA is not ready for an openly gay player right now, ” he said. They are showg young, gay athlet that they n be hont and open about who they are and also succeed the sport of their choice. Here are a few gay athlet who have ma a difference sports simply by g out and beg proud to be themselv.

Jason Colls NBA player Jason Colls was drafted by the Hoton Rockets 2001 and played twelve seasons before g out as gay a Sports Illtrated ver story. He said that he chose to wear the jersey number “98” honour of Matthew Shepard who was killed an antigay hate crime 1998. When Colls played his last season the NBA wh the Brooklyn Nets he bee the first publicly gay athlete to play any of the four major North Amerin pro team sports leagu.

Many people believe pro sports to be one of the last areas where homophobia was still proment but Colls g out was a step the right directn for acceptance of gay pro athlet everywhere.