"Every day, Derrick Gordon thinks about the moment he found his freedom: the intro from his coach, his speech in front of his teammates, his shaking legs. When the basketball standout publicly came out as gay, he asserted his status as the first out active player in NCAA Division 1 men's hoops. It was a day that would forever place Gordon in the history books. But at the time, he wasn't considering his announcement in any sort of broader context."
"He just wanted the teasing to stop, and the ability to live his life openly. In the lead-up to his revelation, Gordon remembers talking to NBA player Jason Collins, who publicly came out himself the previous year. Gordon remembers Collins telling him that sharing his orientation could impact his professional ambitions. But Gordon didn't care. He saw the personal bliss that Collins was experiencing, and wanted to feel that liberation himself."
""The ball is gonna stop bouncing at one point," Gordon tells Queerty. "I would rather be happy and not live a lie.""
Derrick Gordon publicly came out as gay while in college, becoming the first openly gay active NCAA Division I men's basketball player. He sought to stop teasing and live openly despite warnings from Jason Collins that coming out might affect professional prospects. Gordon played for three different March Madness teams and two professional seasons in Europe before returning to the U.S. He currently plays in the National Gay Basketball Association in Los Angeles and plans to compete in the Gay Games in Valencia, Spain. A book is in progress, and Gordon reflects on choosing personal happiness over hiding his identity.
Read at Queerty
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