Aussie athlete Andrew Ogilvy has become the second-ever NBL player to come out as gay, making the announcement during a chat with fellow gay basketballer Isaac Humphries.
Ogivly — who played for the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks during his 12-year NBL career — dropped the news ahead of the NBL’s fourth annual Pride Round, telling Humphries “there’s now a place for us to have this conversation”.
“If people want to talk to someone, people want to be able to ask opinions, ask questions, it gives them someone else to reach to,” Ogilvy said.
The basketballer, who retired in 2022, revealed that he’s been married to his husband for 18 months, but felt pressure to downplay the relationship during his career to “present as straight and not show this side of my personality”.
“I probably didn’t live my life as authentically as I probably could have during my time, especially in the NBL,” he said, adding that some players “probably knew” of his sexuality since he “wasn’t super discreet about it”.
Further reflecting on his coming out journey, Ogilvy said he felt the need to keep parts of himself hidden to maintain a career in professional sport, especially given the lack of representation when he was coming up.
“Growing up, there weren’t positive portrayals of gay relationships in basketball or in the media as a whole. It was more that it was going to be a sad, lonely life. That definitely weighed on me pretty heavily,” he said.
Humphries — who made history in 2022 as the first-ever openly out NBL player — commended Ogilvy for his bravery, saying “visibility and acceptance are really important” and that his openness “continues to move our great league forward”.
“We’ve got a player who plays every weekend, who is openly gay and an ex-player now, who’s openly gay and married, who’s prepared to talk about this life and these situations,” Humphries said.
It coincides with the NBL’s Pride Round, which kicks off this weekend and is an important initiative for athletes and fans to “talk as openly as this,” Ogilvy said.
“If people want to talk to someone, people want to be able to ask opinions, ask questions, it gives them someone else to reach,” he said.
“Pride Round is for everyone. There’s people in the stands, people at home watching. It’s about making sure everyone feels included.”
Lead images: NBL/YouTube
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