Hooped Up

John Ameachi who caused a stir last year when he came out as the first former gay NBA player will be Amnesty International’s first sporting ambassador at the Beijing Olympics this summer.

The 37-year-old, who is the only basketball player in the history of the NBA to come out of the closet, is attending the Games as a BBC commentator.

The exact scope of his additional role for Amnesty is unclear, but Amaechi has already urged athletes to speak out about China’s record on human rights.

“To gag athletes is outrageous,” the British basketball star told The Guardian.

“Since when are equality of opportunity, basic human rights, since when have these things been political?

Pink News