NBA's Jason Colls says U.S. 'ready' for openly gay player - ESPN

Contents:

• HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL
• ‘TTH IS THAT I’M GAY’: ISAAC HUMPHRI OUT AS THE ONLY OPENLY GAY MAN PLAYG TOP-FLIGHT BASKETBALL
• ‘I’M SENTIALLY STARTG A NEW LIFE,’ SAYS ISAAC HUMPHRI AS HE BE THE ONLY OPENLY GAY MAN PLAYG TOP-FLIGHT BASKETBALL
• JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY
• 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
• BEG GAY AND PLAYG BASKETBALL
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• THE 2021 WNBA ALL-STAR GAME IS THE GAYT PROFSNAL BASKETBALL GAME EVER
• TOP 3 NBA PLAYERS WHO ARE GAY FEAT. JASON COLLS AND MORE

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.

‘TTH IS THAT I’M GAY’: ISAAC HUMPHRI OUT AS THE ONLY OPENLY GAY MAN PLAYG TOP-FLIGHT BASKETBALL

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. In an exclive terview wh CNN Sport's Amanda Davi, Atralian center Isaac Humphri out as the only openly gay man playg top-flight basketball the world.

‘I’M SENTIALLY STARTG A NEW LIFE,’ SAYS ISAAC HUMPHRI AS HE BE THE ONLY OPENLY GAY MAN PLAYG TOP-FLIGHT BASKETBALL

But now, he says he feels ready to “live my te life” and bee the world’s only openly gay man playg top-flight basketball. “Forever, I thought that beg a profsnal basketball player and gay were mutually exclive and that I had to hi that si of my life and wasn’t allowed to be who I tly am, ” Humphri exclively tells CNN Sport’s Amanda Davi.

“I’m makg the cisn to e out … bee I believe that I n be who I am my environment, and I n change the trajectory of how we view beg gay sport. In 2013, former NBA player Jason Colls beme the first openly gay athlete one of the four major North Amerin sports leagu when he me out late his reer. More recently, Josh Cavallo, who plays for Alai Uned Atralia’s A League, beme the only current openly gay top-flight male soccer player when he me out last year.

“My self-hate, my self-homophobia – everythg that realm was very, very real wh my bra and got so dark that I absolutely thought about exg this world, ” he adds.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

While he says his Melbourne Uned team is “so acceptg” and that he feels “honored and privileged” to play basketball, the six-foot, 11-ch center pots to the locker-room atmosphere as one of the barriers to feelg fortable as a gay man the sport. 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.

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. "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

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.

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.

Melbourne Uned basketball player Isaac Humphri is the only active openly gay player a top-tier men's basketball league. He publicly shared he is gay a vio published Wednday morng Atralian time, and he jos former NBA player Jason Colls -- who announced his sexualy 2013 -- as the only players a top-tier basketball league to announce they are gay the midst of their playg reer. And the ma reason behd me beg so low and beg that pot is bee I was very much stgglg wh my sexualy and g to terms wh the fact that I'm gay.

BEG GAY AND PLAYG BASKETBALL

Colls announced he is gay April 2013, shortly after the NBA season end, and he beme the first openly gay player to appear a top-tier basketball league Febary 2014 as a member of the Nets. The LGBT movement emerged as early as the 1870s, but homosexual rights groups didn't appear until after World War II September 1945. To add onto the topic of the Warrrs, print Rick Welts me out as gay an terview wh the New York Tim 2011.

Homophobia is somethg that shouldn't have a place sports bee LGBT folks n be fans, media members, employe and executiv too.

WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS

" We, as a untry, need to une and not jt bee of the tragic gay nightclub shootg Orlando, Florida, that occurred last summer.

His fay reportedly had mixed emotns towards the announcement, but he still changed the game, beg the first Divisn I men's basketball player to e out as gay and play gam. He also received praise om Colls and former NFL fensive end Michael Sam, who beme the first openly gay football player.

THE 2021 WNBA ALL-STAR GAME IS THE GAYT PROFSNAL BASKETBALL GAME EVER

When then-Phoenix Suns print and CEO Rick Welts me out as gay May 2011, former NBA pot guard Steve Nash pledged his support favor of the LGBT muny. Nash said the vio, "A growg number of profsnal athlet are speakg out support of gay and lbian upl gettg married, I'm proud to be one of them. Asi om his open support for gay rights, he also ns the Steve Nash Foundatn, which helps children who are affected by poverty, illns, abe or neglect, and creat opportuny for tn, play, and empowerment, Phoenix, Arizona, and Brish Columbia, Canada.

In his hman year at Villanova, he first me out as gay to his teammate and roommate Mike Villa before nfsg to his parents three months later. There's hardly any Hispanic players, no Asian-Amerins, so that there's no openly gay players is no real surprise.

Last year, the NBA moved s 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carola, due to the state's law that lims anti-discrimatn protectns for lbian, gay and transgenr people. Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so. "He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay.

TOP 3 NBA PLAYERS WHO ARE GAY FEAT. JASON COLLS AND MORE

In a September terview wh USA Today, 25-year-old mor league baseball player beme the only active baseball profsnal to be out as gay!