Isaac Humphries becomes first top tier basketball player to come out as gay
Australian basketball player Isaac Humphries has made history as the first active top tier league athlete in the sport to come out as gay.
The 24-year-old tweeted a video of himself speaking to his Melbourne United teammates about his decision to come out and his desire to use it as an opportunity to represent people who were struggling with their sexuality. “I know how that feels…You can live and you don’t have to hide,” he said.
He acknowledged that internalised homophobia led him to some “extremely dark times” and this had influenced his decision to be out on the court.
LGBTQ+ representation in basketball was seen as “a negative point of difference”, but spending time in Los Angeles after an injury led him to see how “being openly gay can come with joy”, he wrote in an opinion piece for CNN.
