About John Amaechi
John Amaechi was born in Boston but raised in Manchester, England. At 6’10”, Amaechi was a standout teenage rugby player until a chance encounter with a coach on a busy shopping street made him decide to pursue a career in the NBA.
At age 17, Amaechi moved to the United States to play high school basketball in Toledo, Ohio, where he was quickly targeted by recruiters from top colleges. After graduating from Pennsylvania State University, Amaechi played in the NBA for the Houston Rockets, the Orlando Magic, the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was recognized in the NBA’s Hall of Fame for scoring the first points of the new millennium on Jan. 2, 2000. He also spent three seasons in Europe playing for teams in France, Italy, Greece and England. Now retired, Amaechi is still one of the United Kingdom’s most popular athletes. He appears as a sports commentator covering NBA games for British television and as a social and political pundit for BBC and ITV news.
An active humanitarian and philanthropist, Amaechi founded the ABC Foundation, which aims to increase youth participation in physical activity and holistic support services to help young people broaden their horizons and strive for excellence. The foundation’s first sports center for children, the Amaechi Basketball Centre, opened in 2002 in Manchester.
In February 2007, Amaechi made history when he became the first NBA player to ever come out publicly. His new book, Man in the Middle, published by ESPN Books, details his life story and unique perspective as a gay man and a professional athlete.
Amaechi is also a national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project. The HRC Coming Out Project works to give gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight people resources to help the coming out process and to encourage open, honest conversation.
Amaechi currently lives in London and travels extensively to support his humanitarian and philanthropic work.