Phoenix Suns President Comes Out

CNN’s Don Lemon became one of the few television anchors Monday to acknowledge that he is gay. On Sunday, Phoenix Suns President and Chief Executive Rick Welts shocked the sports world with a similar admission: After 40 years in sports, he was coming out of the closet. Welts, 58, immediately became the most high profile gay man in American sports. Some colleagues say they figured he was gay, but he never discussed it with them: When his long-time partner died from AIDS in 1994, he took just a day or two off work. NBA Commissioner David Stern called Welts to offer his condolences and even donated $10,000 in his partner’s memory to the University of Washington; but Welts’ sexuality was never directly discussed. When he met Suns star Steve Nash to tell him about his sexuality, Nash said he thought everyone already knew. “Anyone who’s not ready for this needs to catch up,” Nash said after meeting with Stern.