Derrick Gordon is the first openly gay player in Division 1 men’s basketball, but the UMass guard believes it’s only a matter of time before others follow his trailblazing path.
“There’s a lot of us out there; I guess they’re afraid,” Gordon told Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times Friday when he scored 17 points as UMass defeated Siena, 95-87. “But everybody has their own time to come out. Mine just happened to be April 9.”
Gordon came out back in April, saying he was inspired by Jason Collins and Michael Sam.
“I see a difference in him as a person,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg told the Times. “He’s not hiding behind anything anymore. He’s just one of the guys.”
Gordon played high school ball at Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick with Kyrie Irving, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Dakari Johnson.
His parents attended UMass’s opener, as did his twin brother Darryl, who was released from prison after serving a five-year sentence for attempted murder.
“I held back the tears,” he said. “That’s something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time.”
Photo: Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist for The New York Times
