Gay NBA star is coming out...
whats up w/ all these weird things happening this yr so far?
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...v=st&type=lgns
BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT (TICKER) -- Former NBA player John Amaechi will declare he is gay in his book to be released later this month.
Amaechi would be the first NBA player to publicly declare his homosexuality and join a very short list of males in professional team sports who have come out. The book is entitled "Man in the Middle" and is published by ESPN Books. Amaechi's declaration in the book was reported Wednesday on ESPN.com, and he will appear on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. EST.
Currently a TV personality in England, Amaechi helps fund the Amaechi Basketball Center in Manchester, which encourages children to become involved in sports and their communities.
"I don't think (Amaechi's declaration) will have any effect on his ability to do that," said Cyd Ziegler, the co-founder of Outsports.com, a web site dedicated to the gay influence in sports. "You will have some people who will raise an eyebrow."
Amaechi, 36, was born in Massachusetts and raised in England. The 6-10 forward-center played collegiately at Penn State before entering the NBA in 1995.
In five seasons with Cleveland, Orlando and Utah, Amaechi averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 rebounds before retiring in 2003. While with the Jazz, he accused the coaching staff of making anti-gay remarks about him.
Very few male team sports members have publicly declared their homosexuality. Among them are former NFL players Esera Tuaolo, Roy Simmons, Dave Kopay and Jerry Smith and former baseball players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean.
Kopay told Outsports.com in an interview that he had a sexual encounter with Smith while they were teammates with the Washington Redskins in the 1960s.
Ziegler said he has read an advance copy of Amaechi's book and spoken with him on the telephone. He gave some insight to Amaechi's upbringing in England, where he was raised by his mother and felt isolated because of his size and black race.
After the 1999-2000 season, Amaechi was offered a $17 million multi-year contract by the Los Angeles Lakers, who featured Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant and had just won the NBA title.
However, Amaechi elected to re-sign with the Orlando Magic at a much lower figure in order to maintain his commitment to some of the community programs he became involved with in central Florida. "He's dedicated his life to philanthrophy," Ziegler said. "His real passion is helping kids."
Originally Posted by Sinfix_15
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