Phoenix Suns president Rick Welts comes out as gay at 58

Who would’ve guessed? We’re getting there, slowly but surely. Places like the military and sports are lagging behind, but progress is made every time something like this happens. The president of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, Rick Welts, has come out. From the New York Times: Last month, in a Midtown office adorned with sports memorabilia, two longtime friends met for a private talk. David Stern, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association, sipped his morning coffee, expecting to be asked for career advice. Across from him sat Rick Welts, the president and chief executive of the Phoenix Suns, who had come to New York not to discuss careers, but to say, finally, I am gay. In many work environments, this would qualify as a so-what moment. But until now, Mr. Welts, 58, who has spent 40 years in sports, rising from ball boy to N.B.A. executive to team president, had not felt comfortable enough in his chosen field to be open about his sexuality. His eyes welling at times, he also said that he planned to go public.
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