Who is john amaechi orlando magic

But, despite his parental instincts, his arrangement with Jeff and Martin remained an informal one out of necessity. Florida was one of several states that had banned gay people from serving as foster or adoptive parents, based on the belief that they would not make good role models. Even his golden year with the Magic was tainted by the homophobic views held by his cherished team-mates. That Orlando squad was famed for its sense of team spirit and togetherness, but for Amaechi hearing such sentiments from those whom he respected most was hard to stomach.

Amaechi is open and honest in his book about the depths of depression that hiding his sexuality had caused. Time and time again he speaks of his desire to let loose and enjoy the eclectic collection of gay districts that he came across in his travels. However his fear of being outed and the damage he believed that would cause to the locker room stopped him from doing so.

Amaechi argues that the presence of an openly gay player would expose the homoerotic elements of the male bonding that is so commonplace in sporting environments and that, influenced by uninformed views of gay men, heterosexual players would be concerned that homosexuals would sexualize this behaviour. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, did his desire to lead a normal life ever take him to the precipice of quitting? Sounding almost offended by the suggestion, the conversation moves to the problem of tackling homophobia within the game itself.

So what does he believe needs to be done differently by the authorities in order to rid sport of its widespread homophobic attitudes? They are interested in what gives tangible performance returns. So I simply question any organization that creates a toxic environment where certain percentages of their employees will be unable to function at their best.

I question their interest in being the best. So, granted that, whether a humanitarian or performance issue, homophobia remains a problem that is not being dealt with properly, where exactly are they going wrong?

They understand that if they allow monkey chants then their black players will not play as well. But their ability to understand this extends only so far as skin colour, which seems a bit obtuse to me. But the picture is not just one of dinosaurs and pre-historic attitudes. Amaechi admits he is encouraged by the progress made by society, even since he retired just under ten years ago.

In Illinois for example, just yesterday they passed marriage equality, so that is another state that you can add to the list of states that have become more progressive.

People in general have become more progressive. Today, he says that question of how NBA players want to be perceived by the world at large is at the heart of why such a small number has come out publicly. But he can also see signs of progress and reason for hope. Now a psychologist and consultant, Amaechi was closeted during his playing days, and says he consistently heard players using anti-gay slurs. During his two seasons with the Utah Jazz , his role was limited and he remained silent when he heard teammates spouting homophobic language.

But during the — campaign with the Orlando Magic , when Amaechi averaged Instead, he used levity to help his teammates understand the irrational nature of their vocabulary.

This telephone is gay? How is it homosexual? Amaechi received mixed reaction from his former NBA peers when he came out in But many others applauded Amaechi for his courage.

Six years later, Amaechi felt comfortable letting one player know there was a community of people who would accept him if he chose to come out. This time, reaction around the league was almost universally positive.

He helped the English team win the bronze medal. Amaechi returned to school and in the s he received his Ph. In , Amaechi release his autobiography titled Man in the Middle where he for the first time openly discussed coming out as a gay man. This revelation made Amaechi one of a handful of NBA players to disclose their homosexuality. Skip to content John Amaechi, November 28, Do you find this information helpful?