Brittney Griner Comes Out as Gay: WNBA Star Reveals Sexuality in Sports Illustrated Interview

Brittany Griner, WNBA star, casually mentioned that she is gay in an interview with Sports Illustrated on Wednesday.

Athletes, fans, coaches and the league executives had been waiting for quite some time to see if an active team-sport athlete would come out, according to The New York Times. However, her casual mention of her sexual preference actually drew very little media attention.

This is, "because it was a woman. Can you imagine if it was a man who did the exact same thing? Everyone's head would have exploded," said Jim Buzinski, founder of Outsports.com, which deals with homosexuality and sports, according to The Times.

"The second part of what people talk about with the NFL is that a male player would be hesitant to come out because they're worried about what the people in the locker room would say about it," said Maggie Gray during the interview with SI.

Brittney didn't seem to give the whole thing much thought, in fact, she approached the topic with a casual air and in the past tense, as though she had mentioned it in the past, according to The Times.

"I wouldn't say I was hiding or anything like that," Griner said during the interview. "I've always been open about who I am and my sexuality."

"Brittney is powerful because she is true to herself. She embraces what makes her unique and in doing so, empowers everyone around her to do the same," said Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner's agent, according to Forbes.

"Being one that's out, it's just being who you are. Again, like I said, just be who you are," Griner said.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Griner explained that she has been bullied for a lot of different reasons. "Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything," she told the AP. "I overcame it and got over it. [Anti-bullying is] definitely something that I am very passionate about. I want to work with kids and bring recognition to the problem, especially with the LGBT community."

In a pre-draft interview, she told USA TODAY that she had been encouraged by her parents' advice to open up about being gay. "My dad and my mom have always told me, 'Be who you are.' At the time, they probably weren't sure what I was interpreting that as," she said.

Griner advised athletes not to worry about their sexuality and what people think or say, but to be authentic.

"Don't worry about what other people are going to say, because they're always going to say something, but, if you're just true to yourself, let that shine through. Don't hide who you really are," she said in the interview with SI.