One of the NBA’s top referees has come out as gay.
Bill Kennedy, an 18-year veteran who has refereed more than a thousand regular-season games and five NBA finals contests, made the revelation to Yahoo Sports’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday night.
“I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man,” Kennedy said. “I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are.”
Kennedy’s announcement came less than two weeks after the NBA suspended Sacramento Kings point guard Rajon Rondo one game without pay for “directing a derogatory and offensive term towards a game official”.
The incident, during the third quarter of a 3 December game between the Kings and Boston Celtics in Mexico City, happened while Kennedy ejected Rondo. Multiple people on the court heard Rondo call Kennedy a “faggot”, Wojnarowski reported.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver followed up with a statement backing Kennedy’s announcement.
“I wholeheartedly support Bill’s decision to live his life proudly and openly,” Silver said. “Throughout his 18-year career with the league, Bill has excelled as a referee because of his passion, dedication and courage. Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive influence for others. While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.”
In 2013, Jason Collins became the first openly gay player in NBA history. One year later Violet Palmer, who became the league’s first female referee alongside Dee Kantner in 1997, revealed she was gay.
