NBA Referee Bill Kennedy Comes Out Days After League Suspends Player For Calling Him A “Faggot”

Via Yahoo Sports:

Bill Kennedy, one of the NBA’s top referees, has revealed he is gay. “I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man,” Kennedy told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night. “I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver delivered a statement of support for Kennedy. “I wholeheartedly support Bill’s decision to live his life proudly and openly,” Silver told Yahoo Sports in a statement. “Throughout his 18-year career with the league, Bill has excelled as a referee because of his passion, dedication and courage. Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive influence for others. While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.”

And here’s what happened early this month:



Kennedy’s announcement comes soon after Kings guard Rajon Rondo was suspended for an incident between the two in a game earlier this month. Rondo’s ejection occurred during a Dec. 3 game between the Kings and Celtics in Mexico City. Kennedy issued a technical foul to Rondo in the third quarter; after Isaiah Thomas shot the free throw, Rondo walked over to Kennedy and kept talking to him. Kennedy gave him a second technical foul and ejected him from the game.

According to Wojnarowski’s report, Rondo called Kennedy a faggot, and multiple people on the court heard the slurs: In the game officials’ report used as part of the NBA’s investigation – which includes details provided to Yahoo Sports from National Basketball Referee’s Association general counsel Lee Seham – Kennedy and fellow referee Ben Taylor described Rondo’s post-ejection diatribe as including the statements: “You’re a mother———- faggot. … You’re a f——— faggot, Billy.”