Derrick Gordon: I was shut out of the NBA because I’m gay
Former college basketball star expresses regret that no team even gave him a chance to try out
“Honestly, the NBA is just not ready for an openly gay player right now.”
–Former Seton Hall basketball player Derrick Gordon, in an interview with theĀ Asbury Park Press, talking about the disappointment of not getting a chance to play in the NBA. “Maybe it’s going to take some time for it to get to that point,” he continued.Ā “Right now, in 2016, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.”
Gordon, the first openly gay man to play Division I men’s college basketball, believes his sexual orientation is the reason he wasn’t asked to try out with any NBA team.
After helpingĀ Seton Hall reach the NCAA Tournament earlier this year, Gordon was frustrated he didn’t get any offers to try out and couldn’t get feedback on his game, even after participating in the Las Vegas combine.
“I personally don’t believe it was because of my game,” Gordon says. “I think at least I could have been given a shot to work out, to play against some of those other players instead of being shut out.”
Since no teams have expressed any interest in him, Gordon is changing his priorities, focusing on becoming a San Francisco firefighter and EMT. After he earns his EMT certification, Gordon will take the National Testing Network’s firefighter exam. If he passes, he’ll be placed on a waiting list to join the department. But Gordon still has some regrets that he wasn’t given the chance to play basketball professionally.
“I didn’t get a fair shot to show what I could do,” Gordon says. “It was without a doubt because of the fact that I’m gay. I was heartbroken.”
Related:Ā Rio 2016 is the gayest Olympics ever
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