Former center becomes first openly gay NBA player

[MTK]

John Amaechi is gay, and now the first NBA player to come out publicly is ready to talk about it.

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

NBA commissioner David Stern said a player's sexuality is not 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.

Source:
Southern Voice Online

[djnemo65]

Well at least Penn State will have a famous basketball player now.

[dmek25]

Originally Posted by djnemo65

Well at least Penn State will have a famous basketball player now.

this is exactly what i thought

[hooskins]

I don't know how the fans are gonna react, or other players but I assume that is a tough thing to do in the NBA.


On a side note I found his autobiography funny, I don't have a problem at all with homosexuals, so please do not get offended...
Amaechi, a center who spent five seasons with four teams, is scheduled to appear on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" on Sunday, and his autobiography Man in the Middle, will be released Feb. 14.

[dblanch66]

Anyone who is uptight about someone else's sexuality really needs to ...expand. Are people still that shallow?

[skinsfanthru&thru]

Originally Posted by dblanch66

Anyone who is uptight about someone else's sexuality really needs to ...expand. Are people still that shallow?

in a word, yes. what someone else does with their life, no matter my opinion of the matter, is their own business unless pushed upon others or it causes physical or emotional harm to another person.

[Gmanc711]

Really not a huge deal until a current player comes out. I heard Rip Hamilton on Jim Rome yesterday, and he didnt say anything, but you kinda got the feeling that he might be uncomfortable changing with someone who was gay.

I dont know how they would react to an openly gay player on any pro sports team, but it will happen eventually.

[BDBohnzie]

it's sad how this is a news story...the guy had a mediocre career, and now he'll be known as the gay baller.

[MTK]

I think it's a shame that in this day and age athletes have to hide things like this. Sports bring about the ultimate in machismo on the inside of locker rooms and out.

[Monkeydad]

Wow...now he has more headlines than he EVER had as an NBA player.

I remember him at PSU, but what did he ever do in the Pros? I don't even know what team(s) he played for.

Really, this is none of our business and if he's telling people for attention, that's sad. Our society really needs to get over this sexual-orientation obsession. If everyone just lived their lives in their own bedrooms instead of putting it in everyone's faces (I'm talking gays, swingers, the hetero-promiscuous...EVERYONE), we'd have a lot less problems socially, politically, morally and even internationally as a lot of Muslim extremists like to site our lack of morals and open sexuality as a reason to kill us.

Sex is meant to be private. I like it only with my wife and believe that's the right way, but hey, you can do what you like too...just keep it to yourself. There's no need to advertise.

[Monkeydad]

When I was in high school, we found out we had a gay guy on our team. None of us suspected it though and were all shocked. LUCKILY, we found out AFTER he transferred to the school down the road and got an apartment with his "friend" who went by the name of "Bubba". I doubt we would've won the District Championship with that kind of distraction and uneasyness in the locker room.



Coincidentally, his nickname throughout H.S. was "Jay-Bird". We only had to change one letter afterwards.

(take a joke, please)

[SmootSmack]

Some interesting comments by current players

Steven Hunter (Sixers):
"For real? He's gay for real?" said 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. "

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

Randolph Shavlik (Sixers):

Meanwhile, here's what Shavlik had to say: "As long as you don't bring your gayness on me I'm fine. 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."

LeBron James (Cavs):

"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."

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by TAFKAS

Some interesting comments by current players

Steven Hunter (Sixers):
"For real? He's gay for real?" said 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. "

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

Randolph Shavlik (Sixers):

Meanwhile, here's what Shavlik had to say: "As long as you don't bring your gayness on me I'm fine. 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."

LeBron James (Cavs):

"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."

Hm, wow alotta these guys seem very immature.


Except LeBron everyone else sounds like a 6th grade schoolboy.

[Big C]

Originally Posted by TAFKAS

LeBron James (Cavs):

"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."

what a dumbass. admit ur gay? was he ever asked? what is he supposed to do just say hey guys im gay? he was probably scared sh*tless if he told anyone all the crap he would get from his teammates. shut up lebron u idiot

[SmootSmack]

Tim Hardaway chimes in

Former Heat Player Makes Anti-Gay Remarks On Local Radio Show - Sports