Jordan Lucas is a Cal State Northridge outside hitter who previously helped Grand Canyon University reach the NCAA Final Four in 2024 and played for the Filipino national team. His RuPaul’s Drag Race-inspired celebrations became widely known earlier in 2026, earning viral praise for queerness and authenticity. Lucas described how his animated clapping and expressive antics were admired when he was younger in club volleyball. His visibility continued during Cal State Northridge’s April 9 match against UC Irvine, when broadcaster Charlie Brande suggested Lucas should face physical consequences and called the celebrations distasteful. The incident became a focal point for inclusion in sports, and UC Irvine later cut ties with Brande.
"“They were a lot more animated when I was younger,” Lucas told Outsports in April. “It used to be a full wrap-around clap when I was 14 or 15 ... when I was playing club volleyball, a lot of people admired it and thought it was different in the sport.”"
"“I'm amazed Jordan Lucas hasn't been popped by somebody,” Brande said on the broadcast. “The antics he's making under the net, it's very distasteful.”"
"Lucas' notoriety hit a peak this spring when a clash of self-expression, self-identity and traditional views of masculinity collided during Cal State Northridge's match against UC Irvine on April 9. After celebrating a point in his usual fashion, volleyball legend and UC Irvine broadcaster Charlie Brande suggested that Lucas should face physical consequences."
Read at Queerty
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]