Who Was the First Openly Gay NBA Player?
Who was the first openly gay NBA player? This is a question that has been asked time and time again, but the answer is still a mystery. There are many candidates for the title, but no one knows for sure who was the first.
Introduction
In July of 2013, Jason Collins became the first openly gay player in the NBA. He came out in a Sports Illustrated article, saying, “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”
Collins had been drafted into the NBA in 2001 and had played for six different teams over the course of his 12-year career. In his announcement, he said that he had been “reluctant to come out” because of the “stigma” surrounding homosexuality in professional basketball.
While Collins’ announcement made him the first openly gay player in the NBA, he was not the first to come out publicly in any of the major professional sports leagues in North America. That distinction goes to David Kopay, an NFL running back who came out in 1975, years before Collins was even drafted into the NBA.
Jason Collins
Jason Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for Stanford University, where he was an All-American in 2000–01. He went on to play 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for six different teams, most notably with the New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics. During his NBA career, he became the first openly gay athlete in North American professional sports when he publicly came out in 2013.
Bill Walton
Bill Walton is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a television sportscaster. He play
ed for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Boston Celtics, winning NBA championships with both teams. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 10, 1993. Walton was born in La Mesa, California, and then raised in San Diego.
Conclusion
Jason Collins, who played for the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards, was the first openly gay NBA player. He came out in 2013, and continued to play until he retired in 2014.
