On November 16, Isaac Humphries, center for the Melbourne United Basketball team, publicly came out, making him the first openly gay player in the National Basketball League (NBL). He sat down with his coaches and teammates to share the hardships he endured as he came to understand his sexuality, including the toll on his mental health.
“I couldn’t be who I am and I attempted to take my life…the main reason for my being so low is because I was very much struggling with my sexuality,” he said.
Humphries goes into detail about the trouble he found accepting himself and visualizing a world in which he is still an athlete being supported just the same as he was before coming out. To his team, he attributes a sense of community that has brought him much joy and pride and ultimately led him to decide that it was finally time to come out. His team welcomed him with both physical and metaphorical open arms. To see Isaac Humphries’ full coming out video and story watch here.