The NBA does not currently have any openly gay players within the league.
Obviously just on the basis of basic probabilities, at least one gay player likely exists and is choosing to stay quiet.
That said, multiple players have come out in their post-playing days.
A new one was added to the list this past week.
In a guest column for CNN, former Kentucky and Atlanta Hawks star Isaac Humphries made the surprising revelation that he too was gay.
“Over my entire career, there was no reality that existed where I could be an openly gay man while playing basketball,” he penned.
“Until now.”
Humphries spent two seasons with the Wildcats between 2015 and 2017, serving as a backup guard. He ultimately participated in 61 outings for the program.
From there, Humphries played for the Atlanta Hawks in 2018-19.
As of 2022, the former Kentucky standout is playing for the Melbourne United in the NBL.
In a now-viral video, Humphries can be seen coming out to his teammates:
— Isaac Humphries (@IsaacHumphries7) November 15, 2022
“I’m so fortunate to be able to do this with this Melbourne United team, “Humphies wrote.
“It says a lot about the club that I really do feel so comfortable doing this with them. To other sports teams out there, create environments that are welcoming to people of different sexualities, faiths, races. Not only is it the right thing to do, but I promise you’ll get the most out of every person in your organization for it.”
The NBA offered this public response to the news:
https://t.co/nVVJSupmFo pic.twitter.com/AbcLdBWA94
— NBA (@NBA) November 15, 2022
It will be interesting to see whether Humphries’ decision to come out influences any modern day NBA players. A number of prominent stars have been suggested to be gay, but none have actually admitted to it.
Even Kim Kardashian seemed to publicly out one, before quietly backpedaling.
In any case, Humphries’ revelation has sent shockwaves throughout the sports world.
The photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/mE6UNRx7kh
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 16, 2022
Will more athletes ultimately follow his lead?
Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
