1. John Amaechi played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Penn State Nittany Lions, and professional basketball in the National Basketball Association.
28 Facts About John Amaechi
1. 2.
Since retiring from basketball, John Amaechi has worked as a psychologist and consultant, establishing his company John Amaechi Performance Systems.
3.
In February 2007, John Amaechi became the first former NBA player to publicly come out as gay after doing so in his memoir Man in the Middle.
4.
John Amaechi was born in Boston in the United States, to an English mother and a Nigerian Igbo father.
5.
John Amaechi first played basketball at the age of 17, coached by Joe Forber, who he has described as a father figure.
6.
John Amaechi then signed for the short-lived Manchester United, now known as the Manchester Eagles His form for Manchester United saw Amaechi move to the United States to play high school basketball at St John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio.
7.
John Amaechi began playing college basketball at Vanderbilt University but transferred to Penn State, where he was a two-time First Team Academic All-American selection.
8.
John Amaechi became the first undrafted player to start in his first NBA game as the Cavaliers' starting center, Michael Cage, did not play in the season opener due to injury.
9.
John Amaechi returned to the NBA, signing with the Orlando Magic in 1999.
10.
John Amaechi went on to play for the Utah Jazz from 2001 to 2003.
11.
John Amaechi came out of retirement to represent England during the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, helping the England team win the bronze medal.
12.
John Amaechi has worked in the media, particularly as a commentator on basketball for British TV shows covering the NBA, and for the BBC during Olympic games.
13.
John Amaechi has been a regular guest host of the BBC Radio Manchester Business show with Steven Saul and has appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on ESPN Radio as a guest and guest co-host.
14.
John Amaechi owns John Amaechi Performance Systems, which is a consultancy working with numerous companies to improve leadership and communication skills and organisational diversity.
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John Amaechi is a member of the American Psychological Association, the British Psychological Society, the BPS Division of Organisational Psychology and the BPS Psychological Testing Centre.
16.
John Amaechi became a senior fellow at the centre for Emotional Literacy and Personal Development at the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom.
17.
John Amaechi is involved with the ABC Foundation in Manchester, which encourages children to become involved in sports and their communities by building youth sports centres throughout the United Kingdom.
18.
John Amaechi is the first NBA player to share that he is gay.
19.
John Amaechi released a book, Man in the Middle, published by ESPN Books, which discusses his career and life as a closeted professional athlete.
20.
John Amaechi is the first National Basketball Association player to speak publicly about being gay.
21.
In May 2007, a few months after coming out, John Amaechi said he had "underestimated America", adding that he had expected the "wrath of a nation" but it never materialised.
22.
John Amaechi made these statements despite having been the subject of death threats a few months earlier.
23.
John Amaechi used Sheng's knowledge of Mandarin and experience in Beijing to get behind the scenes and gather candid interviews with locals and Olympic athletes alike.
24.
John Amaechi acted as team "mentor" and "psychologist" to the San Francisco Rockdogs, a gay basketball team, and shared his experiences on basketball, life, and coming out.
25.
In 2010, John Amaechi made public that he had been denied entry to a gay bar in Manchester, allegedly because the doorman felt he was "big, black and could be trouble".
26.
John Amaechi was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science by Manchester Metropolitan University on 19 July 2007 in recognition of his achievements not only as an athlete and broadcaster, but for his charitable work with the National Literacy Trust, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the establishment of the ABC Foundation to encourage children to become involved in sport and their community.
27.
John Amaechi was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to sport and the voluntary sector.
28.
John Amaechi was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by the University of East London.