Isaac Humphries, who played college basketball in America, has become the first active male basketball player in a top-tier league to come out as gay. He made the announcement to his Melbourne United teammates on Wednesday.
Wednesday 16 November 2022 19:46, UK
Australian Isaac Humphries has become the first active male basketball player in a top-tier league to come out as gay.
The Melbourne United starting centre had informed his team-mates and made an announcement via a video on social media.
The 24-year-old becomes the first openly gay player in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) and is the second active athlete in Australia to publicly announce he is gay, after A-League footballer Josh Cavallo came out in October 2021.
"I believe it is definitely time to make a change and set an example to the next generation that they can be anything they want while still being true to themselves," Humphries said.
"I want to demonstrate that you can be a professional athlete, you can be anything you want, and still be gay."
Humphries, who play college basketball at the University of Kentucky, described how he had been through "extremely dark times" and had hidden his sexuality to loved ones and even himself.
"It is a truth about myself that I have wanted to deny for a long time, but now I feel comfortable in telling you all. That truth, is that I am gay," Humphries said.
"I have been through extremely dark times during this journey, but I have been through so much growth and I am now happy with who I am."
Humphries played for Kentucky from 2015 to 2017, before declaring for the NBA Draft, but was not picked up and returned to Australia, signing for the Sydney Kings.
In 2018, he returned to America, where he spent time with the Atlanta Hawks, the Erie BayHawks, the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic and the Lakeland Magic.
After two years on the American circuit, Humphries returned to the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers before joining Melbourne United for the 2022-23 season.
Humphries is one of the few male basketball players to publicly announce he is gay while still playing in a top-tier league. NBA veteran Jason Collins was the first in 2013.
In a statement, Melbourne United chief executive Nick Truelson said: "Today is an incredible step in Isaac's journey, and we as a club are wholeheartedly supportive of him.
"Not only as a member of our club, but as a person. This is a momentous occasion for him personally, but also for male sport on a global scale."
