NBA Gay

[Pistons < Spurs]

Publicist Howard Bragman, from a Los Angeles-based company called Fifteen Minutes, was spreading the word at the Leigh Steinberg Super Bowl party Saturday that a former NBA player he represents will be announcing publicly that he is gay on Valentine's Day. Bragman would say only that the player has been retired for about three years and was not a member of the Bulls or the Nets. He added that the player was not a prominent name in the NBA. The player also has a book that will be released in conjunction with his public disclosure.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-070205mitchell,1,3636965.column?coll=cs-bears-utility

[FromWayDowntown]

A publicist named Bragman?

[Pistons < Spurs]

Howard Bragman, was the publicist who helped ex-NFL player Esera Tuaolo come out, aswell as Rosie Jones of the LPGA.

[Spurminator]

Bragman would say only that the player has been retired for about three years and was not a member of the Bulls or the Nets.

http://static.flickr.com/15/68325384_478f974345.jpg

Pictured on far right.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Quote:
An inspiring memoir by a former NBA star who is gay. Man in the Middle chronicles one man’s extraordinary journey from an awkward, overweight child to a jet-setting NBA star. Along the way, he encountered endless obstacles to achieving his hoop dreams—his father’s abandonment, being cut from his first college team, a life-threatening injury, abusive coaches, the death of his mother—all the while protecting a vital secret that could end his career. He was gay.


AUTHOR BIO: Author to be revealed February 20, 2007

[Flopper]

http://static.flickr.com/15/68325384_478f974345.jpg

Pictured on far right.


obviously Malone is gay. lol.

[FromWayDowntown]

Bateer retired about 3 years ago.

[Spurminator]

"Man in the Middle" implies a center...

[Spurminator]

He added that the player was not a prominent name in the NBA.


Man in the Middle chronicles one man’s extraordinary journey from an awkward, overweight child to a jet-setting NBA star.

:wtf

[FromWayDowntown]

when I think of "NBA jet-setters" who aren't prominent names, I immediately think of Bateer.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Laettner?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

No Bulls eliminates Rodman.

[lurker]

Another site said it was John Amaechi. :sleep

[Kori Ellis]

Along the way, he encountered endless obstacles to achieving his hoop dreams—his father’s abandonment, being cut from his first college team, a life-threatening injury, abusive coaches, the death of his mother—all the while protecting a vital secret that could end his career. He was gay.

If those things are true, it shouldn't be hard to figure out (if anyone cares to do so). There's probably not many NBA bigmen who had a "life-threatening" injury during their careers and were also cut in college.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Tariq Abdul-Wahad.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

So if Richard Jefferson retired three years ago, who's been using his jersey every night?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

If those things are true, it shouldn't be hard to figure out (if anyone cares to do so). There's probably not many NBA bigmen who had a "life-threatening" injury during their careers and were also cut in college.

I might have missed it, but where did it say he was a big man?

[Kori Ellis]

I might have missed it, but where did it say he was a big man?

I assume "Man in the Middle" indicates a bigman.

[FromWayDowntown]

Another site said it was John Amaechi. :sleep

John Amaechi Speaking Advertisement (http://www.jla.co.uk/ArtistsIndex/Artists/1/AmaechiJohn1.asp?Letter=):


John Amaechi

The only British player to have had a career in the NBA, John is highly regarded for his ability to overcome adversity, including a life-threatening injury. Since retirement from basketball, John has begun building a series of basketball centres across the UK with 5,000 children using the courts in Manchester each week.

Drawing from a background in psychology John’s speeches incorporate an 11 step plan to help achieve ongoing organisational growth and personal acheivement. Focussing on areas of leadership, diversity, development and community awareness.

Amaechi also did transfer from Vanderbilt to Penn State while in college.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I assume "Man in the Middle" indicates a bigman.

Good point, that went right over my head.

On a side note, the highlight video on John Amaechi's Web site shows him driving and scoring against Rasho (not that kind of scoring), maybe he could be our answer inside.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://www.meech.org/video.htm

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Scoring against Rasho and Sean Marks?

As much as it pains the Synagogue of Sean to say it..."RC! Make it so!"

[Kori Ellis]

John Amaechi Speaking Advertisement (http://www.jla.co.uk/ArtistsIndex/Artists/1/AmaechiJohn1.asp?Letter=):



Amaechi also did transfer from Vanderbilt to Penn State while in college.

Yeah I just read all that too. Plus I read he was openly in the gay community in Utah when he was there. So it's probably not that big of a shocker to anyone who knows him.

[lurker]

"If you look at our league, minorities aren’t very well represented," noted Briton John Amaechi, of Utah Jazz, who received threats after espousing supposedly-non-traditional values on his personal website. "There’s hardly any Hispanic players, no Asian-Americans, so that there’s no openly gay players is no real surprise.

"It would be like an alien dropping down from space. There’d be fear, then panic: they just wouldn’t know how to handle it."

[FromWayDowntown]

It's kind of sad that this might actually be newsworthy. I'm sure he's not the only homosexual player of recent vintage in the NBA -- while the number is likely small, I doubt it's 1. I understand why it's being discussed and why it will be news, but as an abstract notion, I just don't get what difference it makes to anyone who John Amaechi (or any other player, for that matter) falls in love with or sleeps with.

[Pistons < Spurs]

He did play in Orlando w/ McGrady ... At the time McGrady made some comment that he believes 5% of the players in the NBA were gay, and that he's witnessed homosexual behavior

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

It's kind of sad that this might actually be newsworthy. I'm sure he's not the only homosexual player of recent vintage in the NBA -- while the number is likely small, I doubt it's 1. I understand why it's being discussed and why it will be news, but as an abstract notion, I just don't get what difference it makes to anyone who John Amaechi (or any other player, for that matter) falls in love with or sleeps with.

*Paging the political forum*

[FromWayDowntown]

*Paging the political forum*

I'm not trying to make a political issue of it. Just an observation, more than anything else.

For my little rant, I've spent a ridiculous amount of time this morning trying to figure out who the player might be.

[lurker]

He just wants a way to get some attention/cash. I'm surprised he didn't go to People magazine like Doogie Howser and Lance Bass. Or maybe he did and they turned him down because they didn't know who the hell he was.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I'm not trying to make a political issue of it. Just an observation, more than anything else.

Oh, I know, I was just saying that I'm sure Yoni, GTown, et al. would be happy to answer your question.

[Spurminator]

For my little rant, I've spent a ridiculous amount of time this morning trying to figure out who the player might be.

:lol I'm guilty too... It's not so much the gay thing, it's the way his publicist communicated it.

If you tell me an NBA player likes Mayonnaise and Jelly sandwiches and gave me a few clues about who it is, I'd probably spend a few minutes trying to figure it out.

[T-Pain]

http://www.meech.org/video.htm
he does look a little fruity

[RonMexico]

I met John Amaechi when I was a little kid at Glendale Community College in Arizona. Seemed like a really nice guy, but I was only 10, so I was calling girls gay at that time. I wonder if his autograph will be worth anything now.

[nkdlunch]

I wonder if his autograph will be worth anything now.

depends what pen he used to sign it

[Supergirl]

No Bulls eliminates Rodman.

Rodman already came out as bisexual, it's just no one paid attention.

Memo to those coming out: If you don't want anyone to pay attention, make the rest of your life such a train wreck and/or spectacle that that's the least of anyone's concerns.

[BgT]

Rodman already came out as bisexual, it's just no one paid attention.
:lol :lol Well, maybe he is coming out as gay now, he didn't have sex with any women in his life (or could be raped few times).

Maybe Karl Malone is the gay... I mean the guy, we are talking about. Retired few seasons ago, no prominent name, looks gay - I think he's a perfect match.

[tlongII]

I always thought John Amaechi sucked. I guess I was right.

[cheguevara]

http://ezchef.net/alacarte/pics/0FRANCI-R1-E002.JPG

[BgT]

http://ezchef.net/alacarte/pics/0FRANCI-R1-E002.JPG
Wow, that's one of the most fake smiles ever.

[JamStone]

As if this former NBA player coming out is the only gay man ever to play in the NBA. There are probably 20-30 gay NBA players currently playing in the league. It's just basic odds that there will be some. Who cares? What they do in their personal life is their business, as long as it's legal.

[RonMexico]

I'm pretty sure Pau hasn't been traded yet because he and Mike Miller are in a relationship

[Supergirl]

As if this former NBA player coming out is the only gay man ever to play in the NBA. There are probably 20-30 gay NBA players currently playing in the league. It's just basic odds that there will be some. Who cares? What they do in their personal life is their business, as long as it's legal.

I agree it SHOULD be no big deal, and I agree that there are probably 20-30 gay NBA players currently playing today, but therein lies the problem. There has never been an out male athlete in the world of professional American sports - NBA, MLB, NFL. There are no doubt hundreds of gay men who have had to hide this part of their lives because they were told it would ruin their careers or make teammates uncomfortable. And that's just really not right.

[ALVAREZ6]

There are probably 20-30 gay NBA players currently playing in the league.
Of course there's some, but I call bullshit on that many.

[Extra Stout]

Wow, that's one of the most fake smiles ever.
Notice how his shrew wears the jersey of his true love.

[DarkReign]

There are no doubt hundreds of gay men who have had to hide this part of their lives because they were told it would ruin their careers or make teammates uncomfortable. And that's just really not right.

Its not right, but it is true. If you want to alienate your teammates, come out of your closet. Sport is a testosterone filled affair. The common theme revolves around the "toughness" of your teammates in clutch situations. Tough is equated with Man-liness, even if not logically true.

[dallaskd]

wtf?

[lurker]

(New York City) John Amaechi, a former player with the Orlando Jazz and Orlando Magic, has become the first NBA player to come out as gay.

Amaechi will announce publicly for the first time that he is gay on an episode of ESPN's "Outside The Lines" to air Feb. 13, Outsports has learned. His book, published by ESPN Books, "Man In The Middle," in which he chronicles his NBA career and directly addresses the travails of being a closeted professional athlete, will be released the following week.

Amaechi's sexuality has been rumored for years. In an April 2001 column for Outsports, NBA columnist Randy Boyd named Amaechi, then playing with the Orlando Magic, as No. 16 among those in the NBA most likely to be gay.

"Could be that the Nigerian-Brit just operates on a different planet?" Boyd asked in his column. "But then again, that explanation for his atypical behavior wouldn�t be any fun now would it?"

That atypical behavior included a penchant for designing gardens, listening to opera before games and writing poetry.

In Amaechi's first contact with Outsports in December, he asked with his playful sense of humor, "Why wasn't I higher than 16th?"

Outsports has been tracking this story for the last year, as quiet rumblings in private conversations started to surface, and had agreed to embargo a story until just prior to his first TV appearance. However, speculation that Amaechi was coming out has become heavy in the past few days, with his publicist, Howard Bragman, dropping hints at a Super Bowl week party in Miami about an NBA player coming out.

Amaechi contacted Outsports' Cyd Zeigler in December and Outsports introduced Amaechi to Bragman. The publicist had previously handled the coming out of NFL player Esera Tuaolo, golfer Rosie Jones and WNBA superstar Sheryl Swoopes.

Outsports acquired a copy of Amaechi's book last week. It is clearly the work of a thoughtful, intelligent man who has focused even more on developing his character and spirit as he has on his jump shot and rebounding.

The book traces his life from early childhood until he was bought out of his contract with the New York Knicks in early 2004. Along the way it paints the picture of a lonely man who only found community when he gathered the strength to start coming out to friends and family.

Amaechi was raised mostly in England by a single mother. He did not discover basketball until he was well into his teens. He spent one year playing high school basketball in the United States before heading to Vanderbilt, where he played only one season before transferring to Penn State.

Amaechi was a standout on the Penn State basketball team from 1992 to 1995, where he was twice named First Team Academic All-American. He was not drafted, but he became the first undrafted player in league history to start in his first game as a rookie, with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He followed his time as a Cavalier with three years playing in Europe, where he dated and had a regular boyfriend for a time in England. He returned to the NBA in 1999 and was celibate until he went to the Jazz. His guaranteed contract with the Jazz set his mind at ease, and it was there that he began venturing out to gay establishments and building a mostly gay circle of friends (the first wide circle of friends of his life, according to the book).

"Those grumpy social conservatives who continue to insist that gay life is lonely and unhappy have obviously never met my friends," Amaechi wrote.

He writes of his first sexual experience in the United States, and how the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake City, controlled by the Latter Day Saints, was an odd backdrop for what felt like his coming out party. He also acknowledges that those in gay clubs like New York's Splash and Los Angeles' Abbey who have claimed in the past to have spotted him there while he was with the Jazz may, in fact, have done so.

"By the end of my second Utah season, I was practically daring reporters to take the bait and out me," he wrote. "But it never happened. My sexuality, I felt, had become an open secret, which was fine by me. I'd left enough open to interpretation that suspicions were gaining momentum."

In a 2002 interview with the Scotsman newspaper, Amaechi had this to say about the subject of gays in the NBA: "If you look at our league, minorities aren't very well represented. There's hardly any Hispanic players, no Asian-Americans, so that there's no openly gay players is no real surprise. It would be like an alien dropping down from space. There'd be fear, then panic: they just wouldn't know how to handle it."

The book also offers insight into the closed world of professional sports, including Amaechi's spirited and friendly political arguments with Karl Malone, what he called the betrayal of Orlando Magic management, kind words from former Indiana coach Bobby Knight, his regret that he never told Greg Ostertag, "the gentle big man" whom he respected, that he was gay when Ostertag asked him while they played together in Utah, his respect for then-Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, and his lack of respect for Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

"Unbeknownst to me at the time," Amaechi wrote, "Sloan had used some anti-gay innuendo to describe me. It was confirmed via e-mails from friends who worked in high-level front-office jobs with the Jazz."

On the court, Amaechi played in 301 games over five seasons, ending in 2003 with the Utah Jazz. His best seasons were in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 when he started 89 games for the Orlando Magic. His career high for points came in a 2000 game against Denver, when he scored 31.

While the book gives a glimpse into the life of the first openly gay former NBA player, it more importantly paints a picture of a man whose dedication to philanthropy once led him to turn down a $17 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was for his philanthropic work and motivational-speaking endeavors that he was a 2006 recipient of the Penn State Alumni Achievement Award.

Amaechi, listed on the website 100 Great Black Britons, now runs the ABC Foundation, designed "to get kids playing sports," according to his website. "The ABC Foundation aims to increase participation in physical activity and holistic support services by building affordable, quality facilities and making expert coaches, respected mentors and educators available to all young people." The foundation's first sports center was built in Manchester, England, close to his childhood home of Stockport.

Amaechi embraces his position as role model for kids with as much vigor as so many professional athletes try to distance themselves from it.

"It would be nice to one day see one of these kids play in the NBA," Amaechi wrote. "But that's not what gets me up in the morning. It's a chance to change the culture, at least for a few kids."

Amaechi also owns Animus Consulting. The company, according to its Web site, offers a "range of programs � tailored to inspire, motivate, challenge and entertain in the pursuit of individual and group development - in a way that directly impacts the bottom line."

Said Boyd of Amaechi's coming out: "Hopefully it will be an inspiration to people who are hetero-identified to be more tolerant and to not assume that all 10 players on a given court have sex the same way they have sex."

[dave]

Steve Francis + Cuttino Mobley

[T-Pain]

I'm pretty sure Pau hasn't been traded yet because he and Mike Miller are in a relationship
:lmao

[Trainwreck2100]

Said Boyd of Amaechi's coming out: "Hopefully it will be an inspiration to people who are hetero-identified to be more tolerant and to not assume that all 10 players on a given court have sex the same way they have sex."

Does anyone assume that there's all kinds of ways to have sex. When the Spurs are playing the Lakers I don't assume all 10 players have sex the same way. There's at least one player out there that has sex so different it's illegal in all 50 states AND Puerto Rico.

[dave]

“I can’t put it into words,” he said. “Playing with a guy, living with a guy, just knowing that every day when I wake up that’s something I can count on, that I’m going to be in practice or in a game with Cuttino.

“Him not being here is going to be tough for me. I don’t know what I’m going to wake up for.”

[Trainwreck2100]

yeah...with your mom.


I wish, then I'd be loaded.

[RonMexico]

It really is ironic that he let his homosexuality out in Utah of all places. I wonder if this will open the doors for other gay athletes such as Richard Jefferson, Ron Artest (anger has to come from somewhere) and Tony Parker, who will finally admit the Eva thing is just a sham so I can marry her.

[BgT]

Amaechi's sexuality has been rumored for years. In an April 2001 column for Outsports, NBA columnist Randy Boyd named Amaechi, then playing with the Orlando Magic, as No. 16 among those in the NBA most likely to be gay.
Where can I read that list? Who are top 3?

[RonMexico]

Where can I read that list? Who are top 3?

All I found was this:

http://www.outsports.com/ballin/022601.htm

That outsports website is kind of funny. Lots of speculation and stories you don't hear much about because... well... they're gay.

[BgT]

All I found was this:

http://www.outsports.com/ballin/022601.htm

That outsports website is kind of funny. Lots of speculation and stories you don't hear much about because... well... they're gay.
Thanks. Hmm, the first part where he talks about 1 in 10 is wrong actually. The year 1938 seems correct, but I've read an article that says that survey was not good, the actual frequency is LOWER, not higher. One in 20 seems more correct.

[adidas11]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/07/SPG15O053Q1.DTL

Here is another article about John Amaechi.

[Supergirl]

Thanks. Hmm, the first part where he talks about 1 in 10 is wrong actually. The year 1938 seems correct, but I've read an article that says that survey was not good, the actual frequency is LOWER, not higher. One in 20 seems more correct.

1 in 10 is from Kinsey's studies, and has been replicated since. But this is simply a measure of the number of people who openly admit to having had sex with someone of the same gender in their lifetime. That doesn't mean all those people identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (many straight identified people have had sex with people of the same gender) nor does it take into account people who won't openly admit to having had sex with people of the same gender.

[George Gervin's Afro]

This thread is soooooooo gay.

[ShoogarBear]

If you tell me an NBA player likes Mayonnaise and Jelly sandwiches and gave me a few clues about who it is, I'd probably spend a few minutes trying to figure it out.Rasho.

[BgT]

1 in 10 is from Kinsey's studies, and has been replicated since. But this is simply a measure of the number of people who openly admit to having had sex with someone of the same gender in their lifetime. That doesn't mean all those people identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (many straight identified people have had sex with people of the same gender) nor does it take into account people who won't openly admit to having had sex with people of the same gender.
As I said, I've read studies that claim otherwise - 1 in 20. It is enough to take into account all studies that were done all over the world in last 50 years. One in ten is like the top result, all other are lower (ok, I think I've seen one other study with 12-13%, but that's it).

[miss paxton]

All I found was this:

http://www.outsports.com/ballin/022601.htm

That outsports website is kind of funny. Lots of speculation and stories you don't hear much about because... well... they're gay.

I found this one too:

more speculation (http://www.outsports.com/ballin/041001.htm)

Tim Duncan's #9.

[atxrocker]

I wonder if this will open the doors for other gay athletes such as Ron Artest (anger has to come from somewhere)


wow, i've never seen somebodys credibility fly out the window so quick. you're right, all angry males must be gay? :rolleyes

[RonMexico]

wow, i've never seen somebodys credibility fly out the window so quick. you're right, all angry males must be gay? :rolleyes

I just needed to pick a third one for continuity's sake. He wasn't feeding his dog and it got taken away, so I figured it's cause he was busy with his boyfriend.

[timvp]

Yeah, the first clue should have been a center who played in the league five years and had a career-high 10 rebounds.

Seriously though, John Amaechi is one of the last NBA players in recent history that you'd want representing your group. This is a guy who played just well enough to get a long-term contract ... and then just stopped trying, stopped working out and ate himself out of the league.

He should be a role model for no one, except maybe used car salesmen and personal injury lawyers.

[ShoogarBear]

He was great in Trading Places, though.

[judaspriestess]

but who is the New Jersey Net that is coming out?

best wishes to all

[cheguevara]

I think all NJ big 3 are gay

JayRich acts gay
Vince talks gay
and Kidd was probably turned gay by his wife

[mardigan]

^^Dont forget about the gay twins of power,. the Collins brothers. Ones on the Nets right?

[FromWayDowntown]

He was great in Trading Places, though.

:lol

[gregpschneid]

I met john amaechi and steve nash in manchester at a basketball tournament sponsored by the nba. He's a great guy. He actually played one on one with a couple guys on my team...haha

[Extra Stout]

What category do overweight Euro point guards who carry man-purses fall into"?

[FromWayDowntown]

What category do overweight Euro point guards who carry man-purses fall into"?

Probably the same category that rookie point guards who lovingly embrace teammates from behind during the final moments of a title-clinching game fall into.

[timvp]

Probably the same category that rookie point guards who lovingly embrace teammates from behind during the final moments of a title-clinching game fall into.

Hey now. whottt is still fuming about the allegation that Prince might be a switch hitter. No need to insinuate that Beno and Barry make a good backcourt duo.

[ShoogarBear]

This story is only interested because of the comments by players, some who didn't come across as very, uh, enlightened.

NEW YORK (AP) -- The small, exclusive club of openly gay professional male athletes has a new member.

Former NBA center John Amaechi, who spent five seasons with four teams, on Wednesday became the first NBA player to publicly come out.

His admission comes three years after his playing career ended, making him the sixth professional male athlete from one of the four major U.S. sports -- basketball, baseball, football, hockey -- to openly discuss his homosexuality.

Amaechi details his life in his autobiography Man in the Middle, which will be released Feb. 14.

"He is coming out of the closet as a gay man," Amaechi's publicist Howard Bragman said.

Martina Navratilova, perhaps the most famous openly gay athlete in the world, praised Amaechi's decision and said it's imperative for athletes to come out because of what she called an epidemic of suicides among young lesbians and gays.

"It's hugely important for the kids so they don't feel alone in the world. We're role models," she said. "He will definitely help a lot of kids growing up to feel better about themselves."

Orlando's Grant Hill, who said he didn't know Amaechi when he was with the Magic, also applauded the decision to go public.

"The fact that John has done this, maybe it will give others the comfort or confidence to come out as well, whether they are playing or retiring," Hill said.

NBA commissioner David Stern said a player's sexuality wasn't important.

"We have a very diverse league. The question at the NBA is always 'Have you got game?' That's it, end of inquiry," he said.

LeBron James, however, said he didn't think an openly gay person could survive in the league.

"With teammates you have to be trustworthy, and if you're gay and you're not admitting that you are, then you are not trustworthy," James said. "So that's like the No. 1 thing as teammates -- we all trust each other. You've heard of the in-room, locker room code. What happens in the locker room stays in there. It's a trust factor, honestly. A big trust factor." (WTF, LeBron, first you said that an open gay person couldn't survive, then you criticize them for not being open?)

Injured Philadelphia Sixers forward Shavlik Randolph acknowledged it's a new situation.

"As long as you don't bring your gayness on me I'm fine," Randolph said. :lmao :lmao "As far as business-wise, I'm sure I could play with him. But I think it would create a little awkwardness in the locker room."

News that Amaechi had come out surprised some players.

"For real? He's gay for real?" said Philadelphia center Steven Hunter. "Nowadays it's proven that people can live double lives. I watch a lot of TV, so I see a lot of sick perverted stuff about married men running around with gay guys and all types of foolishness."

Even so, Hunter said he would be fine with an openly gay teammate. (:lmao "Not that there's anything wrong with it".)

"As long as he don't make any advances toward me I'm fine with it," he said. "As long as he came to play basketball like a man and conducted himself like a good person, I'd be fine with it."

Orlando's Pat Garrity acknowledged reaction was bound to vary throughout the league.

"They would have teammates that would accept them for being a good person and a good teammate, and there would be people who would give him a hard time about it," he said. "I think that's true if you're playing basketball or in an office job. That's just how the world is right now."

In his book, Amaechi describes the challenge of being gay in a league where it's assumed all players are heterosexual. He describes the blatant anti-gay language and attitudes he experienced in NBA locker rooms.

"We're all insensitive at times. There's no taboo subject in the locker room," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who coached Amaechi in Orlando, where he said he had one of his strongest locker rooms. "I think if he would have come out they would have got on him jokingly. ... And I actually think that when guys do come out, when that day happens, it will make it easier."

Amaechi also writes that while playing in Utah, coach Jerry Sloan used anti-gay innuendo to describe him. Sloan said Wednesday that although his relationship with Amaechi was "shaky" because of the player's attitude, he didn't know Amaechi was gay. Sloan had no comment about Amaechi's contention that Sloan used anti-gay innuendo when referring to him. Amaechi said he found out about it in e-mails from friends in the Jazz front office.

Asked if knowing Amaechi was gay would have mattered, Sloan said: "Oh yeah, it would have probably mattered. I don't know exactly, but I always have peoples' feelings at heart. People do what they want to do. I don't have a problem with that."

Former NFL running back David Kopay came out in 1977; offensive lineman Roy Simmons and defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo came out more recently. Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A's in the 1970s, and Billy Bean, a utility player in the 1980s and 1990s, also have come out.

Each did so after retiring. Burke died of complications due to AIDS in 1995.

Amaechi, 36, who was raised in England, writes in the book that he never touched a basketball before the age of 17. A quick study despite being a "terrible athlete," he found his confidence in the game and made it his goal to play in the NBA.

He competed for Penn State, then played in 301 NBA games over five seasons. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 rebounds. He began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995-96, then spent a few years playing in Europe. He rejoined the NBA to play for the Orlando Magic from 1999-01, then played two seasons for the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz traded him to Houston, which traded him to the New York Knicks. When the Knicks waived him in January 2004, he retired.

Amaechi came out of retirement to help England's men's basketball team win the silver medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[sabar]

"As long as you don't bring your gayness on me I'm fine,"

"I watch a lot of TV, so I see a lot of sick perverted stuff about married men running around with gay guys and all types of foolishness."

"As long as he don't make any advances toward me I'm fine with it,"


Classic

[~Sweetmelody~]

LeBron James, however, said he didn't think an openly gay person could survive in the league.

"With teammates you have to be trustworthy, and if you're gay and you're not admitting that you are, then you are not trustworthy," James said. "So that's like the No. 1 thing as teammates -- we all trust each other. You've heard of the in-room, locker room code. What happens in the locker room stays in there. It's a trust factor, honestly. A big trust factor." (WTF, LeBron, first you said that an open gay person couldn't survive, then you criticize them for not being open?)

Injured Philadelphia Sixers forward Shavlik Randolph acknowledged it's a new situation.

"As long as you don't bring your gayness on me I'm fine," Randolph said. :lmao :lmao "As far as business-wise, I'm sure I could play with him. But I think it would create a little awkwardness in the locker room."

News that Amaechi had come out surprised some players.

"For real? He's gay for real?" said Philadelphia center Steven Hunter. "Nowadays it's proven that people can live double lives. I watch a lot of TV, so I see a lot of sick perverted stuff about married men running around with gay guys and all types of foolishness."

Even so, Hunter said he would be fine with an openly gay teammate. (:lmao "Not that there's anything wrong with it".)

"As long as he don't make any advances toward me I'm fine with it," he said. "As long as he came to play basketball like a man and conducted himself like a good person, I'd be fine with it."



Wow! Can someone fine them for "stupid comments"? Please?!

[mardigan]

Billie Bean was gay? Wtf?