Are there any openly gay nba players
John Amaechi speaks on what’s keeping NBA players in the closet
John Amaechi’s being changed forever the first time he stepped on a basketball court.
As one of the rare black kids growing up in Stockport, England, he was routinely bullied over his skin tone. By the period he was 10, he’d ballooned to almost six feet tall, and he’d grown accustomed to seeing a fearful expression on the faces of others. But when he walked onto the hardwood at the age of 17, the now six-foot-eight teenager saw something unusual in the eyes of his teammates — acceptance.
“Instead of tackling me to abuse me, to fight me, it was a bunch of kids running toward me and yelling raucously at the superior of their voices, ‘He’s on our team,’” Amaechi told me in a phone conversation at the end of March. “It was such a heartwarming experience. I was like, ‘I am never leaving this environment.’”
Amaechi’s mind was made up shortly thereafter: He was going to the NBA. He started watching games on television and drafted “The Plan” with his late mother — a personal guide to making it to the league.
He moved to the U.S. when he was 18 and eventually earned an athletic scholarship to Penn Articulate. After three standout season
First openly gay NBA player takes court
Jason Collins took another trailblazing step as the first openly gay man in a major US pro sports league when he took the court for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
Hours after the Nets inked Collins to a 10-day contract on Sunday, he came in as a substitute in the second quarter of the Nets’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers, AFP news agency reported.
It was the 13-year NBA veteran’s first appearance in the league since he went public in April about his homosexuality, a revelation that came after his contract with the Washington Wizards expired.
Facing a bevy of media at the Staples Center before the game, Collins said his biggest immediate concern was proving he still belonged in the league.
Earning a contract
“Right now, I’m focused on trying to learn the plays, trying to learn the coverages, the game plan, my assignment,” he said. “I don’t own time to really think about history right now.”
Nets general manager Billy King said the advance to sign Collins was a basketball decision.
“We needed to amplify our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract,” King said.
Even though K
NBA player Jason Collins comes out as gay
In the Sports Illustrated article, external, Collins, who has most recently played for the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, said: "I didn't fix out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.
"But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different.' If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."
He added that this month's bombings at the Boston Marathon had reinforced his conclusion that he should communicate publicly about his sexuality.
"Things can switch in an instant, so why not live truthfully?" Collins wrote.
Collins, who has played 11 seasons in the NBA with six teams and is not currently attached to a team, said he had tried to suppress his feelings through relationships with women.
"When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged," he said. "I thought I had to live a certain way.
"I thought I needed to marry a woman and lift kids with her. I kept telling mys
Jason Collins:
That was the last nail in the coffin of, I’m doing this, I’m adding my voice to all the other athletes who are speaking up on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. But there were those family members that I had who said, Jason, complete you need to enter out publicly? Can you just live your animation but know that we know we love you, but you don’t necessarily need to talk about it? And I said to them, that’s not who you raised me to be.
Jay Ruderman:
Hi, I’m Jay Ruderman and welcome to All About Alter, a podcast showcasing individuals who leverage the hardships that have been thrown at them to improve other people’s lives.
Montage:
I state put mental health first because if you don’t…
Montage:
This generation of America has already had enough.
Montage:
I remain before you, not as an expert, but as a concerned citizen.
Jay Ruderman:
Jason Collins spent 13 years playing in the NBA. During his career on the court, he earned a reputation for existence a team player who knew when to step out of the spotlight for the good of his team. But that reputation came at a price.
Jason Collins:
I tried to be the good son, tried to be the p