Gay basketball players nba
Welcome to my annual Who’s Gay in the WNBA Report! For those of you who are unused, every year I ruin down the list of athletes who are openly queer in the league. As a queer person who has played basketball my entire life, the off-court drama is always equally as exciting as the on-court display of skills. Knowing who’s homosexual and who’s dating who only adds to that for me. If you’re more of a pure viewer of the game and prefer only knowing what’s going on while the clock is running, I do regularly build WNBA TikToks that I like to think are pretty informative!
The league is well known to possess some of the foremost pre-game walk-up outfits in all of professional sports, so you’re missing out if you don’t pursue at least the @wnba account on Instagram. Here’s a complete list of all out gay players in the league, broken down by team. For my purposes, “Out” means confirmed by the player either in an interview or on their social media. No matter how masculine presenting someone is, I will not be speculating!
Last Updated: 6/27/25
Las Vegas Aces
The Aces are a very great team and as distant as A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray are both there they’ll always possess a shot at
Which WNBA players are gay and how many of them are gay? Skillfully, when Autostraddle published our very first list of out gay WNBA players several years support, it held merely 15 names. Last season, that number had climbed to 38, although two of the players on last year’s list ended up getting waived from their teams shortly into the season, leaving us with 36. But this year, despite losing a lot of last year’s roster, we continue to win with even more gay players, coming in at 44 so far this year.
Atlanta Illusion Gay Players
Brittney Griner
Jordin Canada
In addition to an already prolific seven-year career in the WNBA, Canada is a performer. follow jordin canada on instagram
Chicago Sky Gay Players
Maddy Westbeld
Westbeld is new to the W after being selected 16th overall by the Sky out of Notre Dame in the 2025 WNBA draft. She’s online dating her Notre Dame teammate Olivia Miles.follow her on instagram
Connecticut Sun Gay Players
Saniya Rivers
The 8th annual draft in this year’s class, Rivers comes off some peak carrying out at South Carolina and NC Declare. Since joining the Sun, her friendship and TikTok streams with Marina Mabrey have
BY: Zaniah Boykin
Published 5 months ago
The thoroughfare to LGBTQIA+ awareness in sports has been a prolonged and bumpy one, especially in professional basketball. For years, the NBA and other major leagues were slow to embrace openly homosexual players, but things are changing. Today, more athletes are stepping up, living their truth, and making basketball a more inclusive territory. The courage of these players is shifting the identity and inspiring future generations. Let’s grab a look at some of the most notable gay basketball players who have helped clue this evolution.
1. Jason Collins
In 2013, Collins made history as the first openly gay player in the NBA while playing for the Brooklyn Nets. At a time when few athletes in any sport had come out, Collins’ bravery was a game-changer for LGBTQIA+ visibility in professional sports. His courage paved the way for others, and since retiring, he has continued to advocate for equality. Collins remains among the most vital figures in the LGBTQIA+ rights movement within professional athletics.
2. Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner is one of the most high-profile openly gay basketball players ever. Established as a dominant force in the W
Jason Collins
(1978-)
Who Is Jason Collins?
Jason Paul Collins was born in Northridge, California on December 2, 1978. After playing basketball with his twin brother, Jarron, in high school and at Stanford University, Collins developed into a capable NBA defender for multiple teams. On April 29, 2013, he became the first active male athlete in the four major North American professional sports to proclaim his homosexuality.
Early Years and Education
Jason and Jarron played basketball for Harvard-Westlake High Academy in North Hollywood, California, where future television and movie celebrity Jason Segel served as their backup. They won a pair of California State championships together. As a senior in 1997, Jason was named to the McDonald's High School Basketball All-American Team.
The twins enrolled at Stanford University. Limited to eight games over his first two seasons because of injuries, Jason averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his senior year and was an honorable mention on the All-American Team. He graduated with a degree in communications and was the 18th pick in the 2001 NBA draft with the Fresh Jersey Nets.
NBA Career
Collins never became a star in t