Dennis Rodman accuses the NBA of making a player quit because he was gay: "They made him retire"
Dennis Rodman has accused the NBA of making a player retire because he was gay. Rodman, who was known for his flamboyant character in the second half of his career, is an ally of the LGBTIQA+ community and has cross-dressed several times over the years.
In a recent interview with Vlad TV, Rodman claimed that the NBA forced a player to quit after he came out to the public. The five-time champion didn't drop a name but he might be alluding to Jason Collins, who retired a year after coming out as gay in 2013.
"The NBA had some type of rule or policy because I think 10 years ago a guy came out as gay and said he was gay in the NBA," Rodman said. "They made him retire. ... I was talking to him in Miami, he lives in Miami now with his husband. He's like 6-foot-11 or something like that. Very successful player and he came out as gay and the NBA didn't know how to react to that."
Even though Dennis Rodman didn't mention his name, he was likely talking about Jason Collins. There's only been one active NBA player who came out as gay while still in the league and it was Collins in 2013.
Collins was the 18th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft out of Stanford. He played the majority of his career with the New Jersey Nets. He was one of the Nets' main key role players during their runs to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
The California native also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards. He came out as gay toward the end of the 2012-13 NBA season and became a free agent that summer.
However, it took 10 months for a team to sign Collins to a contract. He returned to the Brooklyn Nets and played 22 games there. He announced his retirement on November 19, 2014, after 13 years in the NBA at the age of 35 years old.
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Dennis Rodman loves the gay community
Dennis Rodman expressed his love for the gay community in his interview with Vlad TV. Rodman, who is not gay but loves cross-dressing and flamboyant outfits, explained that he doesn't need to be one to love the entire community.
"I'm this open individual that loves people pretty much," Rodman said. "I don't have to be gay to love my gay community. I don't have to do that. My gay community loves me because I respect them. I'm not judging them or their character, the desire to be who they are, I don't care about that."
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