Vipers: D-League could provide different situation for openly gay players

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The article:

Vipers: D-League could provide different situation for openly gay players

HIDALGO — Last weekend, NBA center Jason Collins became the first openly gay athlete to play in North America’s four major professional team sports. Collins, 35, played 11 minutes for the Brooklyn Nets in a 108-102 win Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was further evidence of the acceptance of gays in modern era sports.

That does not necessarily mean the NBA D-League is ready for such a matter.

“Each situation is different,” Vipers coach Nevada Smith said. “Something that’s not talked about is (Collins) is going to a team where he knows a lot of the guys. Down here, with the maturity level of some of the guys, just because of the youth of the league, it would probably be tougher.

“It shouldn’t be, but that’s probably the way it is.”

Players agree. “I think it would be accepted,” Houston Rockets assignee Troy Daniels, 22, said. “But at the same time, this is a young league, with young guys. You never know how someone will take it.

“Until it happens, you never know how you’re going to react. But we’re all men. We’re all paid to play this game. You just have to man up and deal with it.”

In the NBA, players are together at practices, shoot arounds and during games. It is up to them if they want to hang out with each other outside of basketball. In the D-League, however, players are around each other all the time.

They bus to and from practices together, stay in the same apartment complex and generally hang out together. However, rosters change almost weekly, and that could make forging a bond difficult.

“This is basketball,” Houston Rockets assignee Robert Covington, 23, said. “Everything on the outside is whatever is on the outside. People shouldn’t be judged for their preferences. Basketball should be the focus, nothing else.

“Jason Collins is in a good place. He doesn’t have to change himself and he doesn’t have anything to hide anymore. He’s accepted himself for who he is.”

Vipers associate head coach Paul Mokeski, who played 12 years in the NBA and has been an assistant and head coach at various professional levels, follows Covington’s thinking.
“When I played, I knew there were players that were gay in the league, and I was always along the lines of it doesn’t matter,” Mokeski said. “It matters what you do on the court, how you act as a teammate, and how you act in the locker room. People have preferences on a lot of things, from food to clothes to the people they date. When it doesn’t come to basketball, it shouldn’t matter.”

Smith is “one hundred percent” certain he has played and coached gay players, though none that were publicly open about it. Mokeski is certain he’s played and coached with them as well, though he does not know anybody personally.

Mokeski said society has evolved, noting the social issues of race and sexual orientation are “not fixed by any means, but it’s going in the right direction.” When asked what his advice would be to a young player thinking about coming out, Mokeski said it would be up to the player.

“If they want to come out and make a statement, great,” Mokeski said. “If they don’t, don’t feel pressured to do it. It’s what your individual thought process is that’s very important. Part of the problem is if you are one way and you hide it, it’s an inner confrontation that takes place.

“There’s a lot of soul-searching, praying and trust with your loved ones that are involved in such a process. There are people that will have problems; there are people that won’t have problems. The bottom line is it’s up to you.”

 

The V-League could provide different situation for the ladies.

 

I think young guys are more accepting to that kind of thing than older generations...