Olympics Point Out Big Disparity in Basketball

This month one of the biggest stars in the WNBA came out. Yet in the NBA there's not a single active out gay basketball player.

Elena Delle Donne, the 2015 WNBA MVP and member of the Team USA women's basketball team currently competing in Rio, came out in a Vogue story August 4.

There are currently four out basketball players on the Team USA women's basketball team in Rio. In a USA Today feature, several of the players on the Team USA team spoke out about why they believe it's challenging for a gay or bisexual man to come out in the NBA.

Diana Taurasi, who plays for Team USA and the Phoenix Mercury, said that she believes homosexuality is "a subject that is so taboo in men's sporits, if you bring up anything gay they run out of the room like it's a virus."

Though there is not currently a single out gay or bi player in the league, the NBA has taken steps recently to show its support for LGBT causes. The league pulled its annual All-Star Game from Charlotte, N.C., after the state refused to repeal House Bill 2, a bill that among other things makes it illegal for transgender people to use the bathrooms (in government buildings) that correspond with their gender identity. The NBA commissioner and deputy commissioner joined the WNBA commissioner at the New York City Pride parade, held shortly after the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando that left 49 people dead.

The only active NBA player ever to come out was Jason Collins, who made history when he came out as gay in 2013. He didn't play for long after coming out and retired after signing a short-term contract with the New Jersey Nets. John Amaechi, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks, came out after he retired from the game.

Sue Bird, who plays on Team USA and for the Seattle Storm, said gay men in the NBA fear being stigmatized. "It's more about stigmas than anything else, and I think with those stigmas you have people who are going to be judged," she said.

"I think on the men's side, they're not quite there yet. Jason Collins, for him to do that, particularly in the basketball world, he was the one who kind of broke down the barrier. And maybe in the future, it'll change. But I think right now there's still that stigma. I would love for it to change, because it's really not that big of a deal in all reality."

Taurasi, the two-time WNBA Finals MVP, told USA Today that she doesn't feel optimistic that the NBA will soon move in a direction that will allow gay players to feel safe coming out and not fear professional repercussions.

"I mean [being gay] is just taboo," she said. "It's something that I feel like a lot of those guys think is a weakness, and they look down upon it. That's a lot of upbringing. A lot of that is religion, so I think once they get past those things, maybe in the future."