Pro-basketball has a gay team president: Phoenix Suns’ Rick Welts
”This is one of the last industries where the subject is off limits…. My high profile in this community, and my need to have [my partner] be invisible. That ultimately became something we couldn’t overcome.”
Rick Welts, President and CEO of the Phoenix Suns pro-basketball team, telling the New York Times that he is gay. Welts reveals that keeping his sexual orientation hidden has cost him in his personal relationships. The Times reports that Welts’ partner, Arnie, died in 1994 from AIDS-related complications, and that Welts could not publicly grieve for his “good friend.” His next long-term relationship ended two years ago, in part, because of his “shadow life.” (New York Times)
Welts has been involved professionally in the NBA and other aspects of professional sports since he was very young. He helped create and launch the WNBA, and he also served as president of Fox Sports Enterprises.
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