Derrick Gordon: I Didn't Get A Fair Shot At The NBA Because I'm Gay

The professional sports world is still a tough place to make it if you’re a queer man, at least according to Derrick Gordon. 

Gordon, who broke boundaries in 2014 as the first openly gay player in the NCAA , told Asbury Park Press , “I didn’t get a fair shot to show what I could do” in the NBA, claiming that “it was without a doubt because of the fact that I’m gay.” He also revealed that he hadn’t received a single tryout with an NBA team. 

“Nobody was calling,” he said. “Even after I went to the (Las Vegas) combine in July, I still didn’t get any feedback.”

Gordon, who transferred to Seton Hall, became the first openly gay player to participate in the NCAA’S March Madness . He told the paper that will now pursue a career as a San Francisco firefighter.

Gordon previously spoke out about the way that his sexuality has affected his career, saying that he encountered “blatant homophobia” in his attempt to transfer schools.

Homophobia continues to be a major issue  in the sports world at large and while some progress has been made on some levels , the search for an openly gay sports superstar continues. 

Jason Collins became the NBA’s first openly gay player   and the first openly gay male athlete in any of the four major professional sports  when he came out of the closet in 2013, but he retired from basketball just 19 months later.