Derrick Gordon: First D-1 NCAA Basketball Player Out Of Closet

By Josh Helmuth

Add NCAA Division-1 basketball to the list of major sports leagues who now have an openly gay athlete.

Derrick Gordon, a Plainfield, N.J. native who will be a Junior at UMass, came out to teammates April 2 and just recently sat down in an ESPN interview disclosing details:

Gordon said that a pivotal moment in his decision to come out followed Jason Collins’ announcement that he was gay. Collins is a long-time NBA veteran who played for the Brooklyn Nets this season and was the first openly gay NBA player in the history of league.

[ESPN]

“That was so important to me, knowing that sexuality didn’t matter, that the NBA was OK with it,” Gordon said.

…”I just had a lot of time to myself, thinking, and I didn’t know what I was waiting for,” said Gordon, who transferred to UMass after one season at Western Kentucky.

The 22-year-old averaged 9;.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this past season. He started in all 33 games for the Minutemen.

Gordon has shown his newfound pride on Twitter as well:

Josh Helmuth is editor of CraveOnline Sports. @JHelmuth – On Facebook.

Josh Helmuth
Josh Helmuth

Josh is originally from the small berg of Arthur, Ill, proudly the Amish capital of the state. It also has one hell of a pumpkin patch.

Josh has enjoyed dipping his toes into a variety of careers since graduating from the University of Alabama, the most rewarding thus far having served as a youth director in southern California for four years, and his broadcasting career which has garnered two Emmy awards and three Edward R. Murrow Awards.  

Josh enjoys loud rock music, Tom Hanks movies, dogs that like to cuddle and long runs. He is also always in search for America's greatest cheeseburger. Follow him here if you would like to be friends!

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