Professional 3×3 basketball player Marco Lehmann, 27, came out as gay in a beautifully-written piece on the FIBA website.
A mainstay of Swiss 3×3 club Lausanne, Lehmann dedicated his letter to all members of the LGBTQ+ community who do not want “to live the double life anymore.”
“My name is Marco Lehmann. I’m a 27-year-old professional 3×3 basketball player and I decided I would not wait till I retire to announce that I’m gay.
"My name is Marco Lehmann. I’m a 27-year-old professional 3×3 basketball player and I decided I would not wait till I retire to announce that I’m gay."https://t.co/eNelgdm71X
— FIBA 3×3 Basketball (@FIBA3x3) January 15, 2021
He added that the letter hopes to inspire future generations of athletes to just focus on their play, instead of gender or anything else.
“This is for the future generations so they can live a free sporting life without hiding. Not gonna lie, this is also for me so I can live free of this burden,” wrote Lehmann.
The Switzerland-based player opened up on his struggles and experiences with discrimination in the past that led to the particular coming out moment.
He also touched on his original plan of coming out before retirement with a dream scenario in mind: hitting a game-winner and kissing his boyfriend afterwards for the world to see.
Following the footsteps of NBA’s Jason Collins and boxing’s Orlando Cruz, Lehmann decided it was time to let the sporting world know who he truly is.
He believes athletes can only compete at the highest level when they are at peace.
“In my opinion, an athlete can only perform at the highest level if he is at peace with himself,” said the scorer.
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has one of the more positive NBA late draftee successes in recent memory. Drafted 46th Read more
Like his brother Steph, Seth Curry also knows how to make clutch plays. Curry hit a top of the key Read more
The Milwaukee Bucks rewrote the record books Tuesday night, making a whopping 29 triples in a huge 144-97 win over Read more
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has scored in double-digits for 1,000 consecutive games, a record he set as the Read more
- UAAP Season 86 unveils dynamic theme ‘Fueling the Future’ - September 15, 2023
- MSC 2023 expands, includes North Africa-Middle East, North America, Turkey - February 19, 2023
- ECHO picks Chou for M4 World Championship commemorative skin - February 18, 2023