Former Penn State basketball player John Amaechi will become the first NBA player ever to reveal he is gay in his new book, which also discusses the issue of alleged anti-lesbian discrimination by Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland.
Amaechi, who played at Penn State from 1992 to 1995, will interview with ESPN's "Outside the Lines" Sunday at 9:30 a.m., before the book, "Man in the Middle," is released Feb. 20.
The book goes "extensively into Amaechi's time at Penn State," where his first gay experience occurred, ESPN books editor Chris Raymond said.
The announcement was supposed to be centered around Sunday's special, Raymond said, until word broke "fast and big" on the Internet that Amaechi is homosexual. Amaechi is unavailable for comment until next week.
The announcement rides on the heels of Portland's recent out-of-court settlement with ex-Lady Lion Jen Harris. Raymond said the timing was purely coincidental, and although he did say Amaechi discusses Portland, he did not offer any other information about her role in the book.
"Having the courage to say, 'I am gay,' you can't get somebody better to stand in front of the camera and talk about it," Raymond said. "Now people have to have an enlightened discussion about [homosexuality in athletics]."
The book had been in the works for more than a year and a half. Howard Bragman, Amaechi's publicist, is known for bringing gay athletes into the spotlight. Last year, Bragman helped WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes reveal that she is a lesbian.
Amaechi, a 6-foot-10-inch center, was a two-year team captain, in 1993-94 and 1994-95, under head coach Bruce Parkhill. He finished as Penn State's No. 10 all-time scorer, with 1,310 points and 15.6 points per game, and ranks fourth in rebounds.
During his senior season, Amaechi and his teammates went 21-11 and advanced to the National Invitational Tournament's (NIT) semifinal round.
Parkhill remembers Amaechi as a player that would be voluntarily practicing at Rec Hall by himself and said he did not hear many stories about his social life.
"I didn't really have a reaction," Parkhill said. "It's none of my business ... I just want John to be happy. That's all I care about."
Former teammates, such as current Penn State men's basketball assistant coach Dan Earl and Penn State-Harrisburg Director of Athletics Rahsaan Carlton, said they were unaware of his sexuality until yesterday.
"He's a great guy. He's a great teammate. He was really serious about the game," Earl said. "You hear all the different things in sports and that it was a big story, and I don't understand it. I would like to think that it wouldn't have mattered."
After starting his professional career with the Cleveland Cavaliers as an un-drafted free agent during the 1995-1996 season, Amaechi spent the next three years playing professionally in Europe. When he returned to the NBA in 1999, he became the Orlando Magic's third-leading scorer with a career-high 10.5 points per game.
A pair of Amaechi's game-worn sneakers have sat in the Basketball Hall of Fame since he became the first NBA player to score a point in the new millennium against the Miami Heat on Jan. 2, 2000. He was also the first citizen of the United Kingdom to play, and start, in the NBA.
Amaechi was a beloved personality in the NBA, as well, chosen to the NBA's All-Interview team in 1999-2000 by members of the league's media. He currently runs the Amaechi Basketball Foundation, which involves children in sports and in the community.
Earl, along with Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis, heard that Amaechi was gay before heading to practice in preparation for last night's Wisconsin game. DeChellis was an assistant coach at Penn State when Amaechi was a three-year starter after transferring from Vanderbilt in 1991.
"The most important thing is that he is a good player and a good person," Earl said. "It's not like we [Earl and DeChellis] sat down for 30 minutes and talked about it."
Raymond, on the other hand, believes that the book will be a big seller. It recounts Amaechi's childhood, raised by a single mother, to his troubles hiding his sexuality in the NBA. Excerpts of the book will appear on ESPN.com in the coming weeks, and Amaechi will grace the cover of ESPN the Magazine in its next issue.
"We had no question that it would be a big deal," Raymond said, "because he is the first to do it and he isn't far removed from his career ... I wouldn't say he is the perfect athlete, but he is definitely breaking ground. We are yet to see a real super star athlete do this."
