Australian basketball pro Isaac Humphries comes out to teammates

Isaac Humphries grew up in Australia, where it was difficult for him to come out. He went to an all-male private school and wrote that he was not able to be part of an LGBTQ+ community.

Humphries also played college basketball in the United States and spent two seasons with Kentucky, from 2015 to 2017. In those two seasons, he played 61 games as a reserve forward for the Wildcats.

Australian basketball pro comes out – Isaac Humphries played one NBA season

Since leaving Kentucky, Humphries has been in basketball leagues around the world. His only year in the NBA was in the 2018-19 season when he played for the Hawks and Atlanta’s G-League team, then called the Erie Bayhawks. He currently plays for Melbourne United in the NBL.

Humphries posted a video of himself outing himself to his teammates on Twitter. Humphries said he always planned to come out after he retired, but in 2020 he considered suicide because of his depression. He added that spending time in Los Angeles while recovering from an injury changed his attitude towards his sexuality.

Isaac Humphries was plagued by depression and suicidal thoughts

“It was completely different in LA. I’ve been around some of the most successful people in the world – from musicians, TV and film producers, media personalities and A-listers – and learned that being openly gay can be a joy,” he wrote. “For the first time in my life I’ve seen that people who are at the top of their game can be open and honest about who they are, and with that came an infectious joy.”

Humphries concluded by writing that he hopes his decision to come out will make it easier for others in his sport to do the same. “I know what it feels like to grow up in an environment that doesn’t feel welcoming,” he wrote, “and I want to do my part to make basketball no longer a part of it.

This article was written by Daniel Chavkin