Charles Barkley and Kevin Durant have been two of NBA history’s most outspoken supporters of gay athletes and the LGBTQ community. In a society that unfairly puts a stigma on gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other such individuals, their support has been happily embraced.
The backing from the NBA community, fortunately, has not been limited to Barkley and KD only. There have been others who have been just as open and staunch in their support for one of the most marginalized societies in America.
Here are five former NBA players who have been actively advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ community:
#5 Kevin Durant
Proud that our president @RickWelts is representing the @warriors and joining the @nba & @wnba family this year #NYCPride March!
KD tweeted out his support of the NBA’s LGBTQ community. Basketball fans will likely be keeping a close eye on Durant following the Rapaport incident. If he is somehow linked to homophobic slurs, it could mean that his support is nothing but a mere show.
#4 Jason Collins
![Jason Collins was the first active player to reveal that he was gay. [photo: SI]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/10/f9ed5-16655511359788-1920.jpg)
![Jason Collins was the first active player to reveal that he was gay. [photo: SI]](data:image/svg+xml,<svg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201200%20863%22></svg>“/><figcaption>Jason Collins was the first active player to reveal that he was gay. [photo: SI]</figcaption></figure>
<p>Jason Collins played in the NBA for more than a decade and averaged only 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his 13-year career. He played for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards. Collins mostly found himself on the deep end of the bench, barely getting noticed by fans and opponents.</p>
<p>Collins’ anonymity completely changed when he revealed he was gay. It wasn’t just the NBA that was stunned by the revelation, but the entire sporting world. Collins became the first active player from a major sports league in the US to admit he was gay.</p>
<p>With the Stanford alumnus revealing he was a homosexual, the sports world was forced to tackle the delicate issue of gay athletes within their ranks.</p>
<p>Collins wrote a moving piece on Sports Illustrated about his struggles. It perfectly captured what most gay and lesbian communities go through in their lives. Collins said:</p>
<blockquote><p>“It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret. I’ve endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was sure that my world would fall apart if anyone knew. And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time.”</p></blockquote>
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“Jason Collins demonstrated that if you come out, it’s okay.” In 2014 Collins became the first openly gay NBA player and soon after, his jersey sales skyrocketed. https://t.co/RtKjpgbdY4
![John Amaechi played a few seasons in the NBA and admitted he was gay four years after retirement. [photo: The Times]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/10/1c0ab-16655519296970-1920.jpg)
![John Amaechi played a few seasons in the NBA and admitted he was gay four years after retirement. [photo: The Times]](data:image/svg+xml,<svg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201500%201000%22></svg>“/><figcaption>John Amaechi played a few seasons in the NBA and admitted he was gay four years after retirement. [photo: The Times]</figcaption></figure>
<p>John Amaechi could easily be 1B on this list given his significance in the sporting world’s LGBTQ.</p>
<p>In 2007, four years after he retired from the NBA, the big man released a book entitled “Man in the Middle.”</p>
<p>Long rumored to be gay, Amaechi finally admitted to the truth when asked about the reason behind the publication of his book:</p>
<blockquote><p>“I am not a hero nor am I special in any respect. I am simply doing what a good person of conscience would do, which is making people aware that gay people don’t just look like Jack from ‘Will and Grace,’ and that they don’t want to jump your bones every occasion and that some are camp and some are butch and that we’re different and we’re useful and we are here.”</p></blockquote>
<p>John Amaechi, a star at Penn State where he was named to two First Team Academic All-Americans, went undrafted in 1995. He played only five years in the NBA, two each with the Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers .</p>
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