Since Jason Collins became the first openly gay active male athlete in a major US sports league in 2013, the public attitudes toward LGBTQ+ athletes have shifted significantly. We’ve lived through Obergefell v Hodges, the legalization of same-sex marriage, and a steady drumbeat of ‘firsts’ including Michael Sam, Collin Martin, Carl Nassib and Luke Prokop. But one thing hasn’t changed: how the NBA, its players and fans react when socially constructed ideas of masculinity, sexuality and sports are questioned.
When Collins came out, he was met mostly with applause, including support from Kobe Bryant and the Obamas. The circumstances around another NBA star, Dwight Howard, are very different. While Collins was never more than a role player during his NBA career, Howard is a future Hall of Famer once put forth as a face of the league: a three-time defensive player of the year, an eight-time All-Star and an NBA champion with the LA Lakers in 2020. (The 37-year-old most recently played in the Taiwanese league.)
