Home | WebMail |

      Calgary | Regions | Local Traffic Report | Advertise on Action News | Contact

Posted: 2022-11-16T16:12:45Z | Updated: 2022-11-16T16:50:22Z

NBA alum Isaac Humphries came out to his Melbourne United teammates in a moving locker room speech captured on video. (Watch it below.)

Ive finally come to terms with this about myself, and I dont want to hide who I am anymore, he said in the viral clip, shared Tuesday.

Humphries, a 7-foot center who previously played for the Atlanta Hawks and the University of Kentucky, told his Australian league team that torment over his sexuality led him to attempt suicide. He struggled with his identity until mingling in a community full of pride and happiness and joy identified as Los Angeles in an open letter he released this week while being treated for an injury in 2021. He called this experience a wake-up call.

I decided that if Im going to join a team, that Im going to come out publicly and just make sure people know ... that you can live and you dont have to hide just because youre an athlete, he said in the video.

Thats my goal behind this, he continued: [to] make sure people know that you can be whatever you want, no matter who you are and what you do. ... It has nothing to do with your sexuality or who you are or who youre meant to be or who youre expected to be. I just want to be myself. Ive discovered this is my purpose in life, and Im going to give it my best go.

Teammates and staff members applauded, and one by one they hugged the big man.

Humphries, a Sydney native whos averaging 12 points a game for Melbourne in Australias National Basketball League, has had a nomadic career. He played high school basketball in Indiana before stints in Kentucky (from 2015-17) and the NBL , as well as Europe. He also played for the Hawks in five games during the 2018-19 NBA season. He returned to the NBL for a second hitch in the 2020-21 season.

But for at least a moment with his Melbourne teammates, Humphries perhaps felt truly at home.

After his announcement, the athlete got a shoutout from retired star Jason Collins, who was the first active NBA player to come out as gay. Know that your story will help inspire someone else to step forward as well, Collins wrote on Twitter.

If you or someone you know needs help, dial 988 or call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline . You can also get support via text by visiting suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat . Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.