Amaechi on The Daily Show tonight

Earlier this month, John Amaechi publicly announced he was gay and became the first ever NBA player to come out. (Over 6 years he played for five different teams, among them Orlando Magic and the Utah Jazz.) AfterElton's interview with him can be found here. Amaechi's announcement drew predictable reactions from current NBA players. This comment, from Philadelphia center Steven Hunter, seemed typical:

"For real? He's gay for real? Nowadays it's proven that people can live double lives. I watch a lot of TV, so I see a lot of sick perverted stuff about married men running around with gay guys and all types of foolishness. But hey, as long as he don't make any advances toward me I'm fine with it. As long as he came to play basketball like a man and conducted himself like a good person, I'd be fine with it."

Ugh. That's about all I can say. At any rate, Amaechi has a new book called Man in the Middle where he talks about his experiences as a closeted gay player in the NBA. Also, tonight he'll show up on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Amaechi sounds like a class act, so should be worth tuning in for. The YouTube clip below is a profile of the athlete.