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John Uzoma Ekwugha Amaechi OBE ( /əˈmeɪtʃi/; born November 26, 1970) is a retired American-born British basketball player who currently works as a psychologist, educator and political activist in Europe and the United States. In February 2007, after his retirement from the NBA, Amaechi became the first former NBA player to come out publicly after doing so in his memoir Man in the Middle. Since then he has been regarded as "one of the world's most high-profile gay athletes". The son of a Nigerian, Igbo father, Amaechi was born in Boston in the USA. He was raised in Heaton Moor,... MORE

John Uzoma Ekwugha Amaechi OBE ( /əˈmeɪtʃi/; born November 26, 1970) is a retired American-born British basketball player who currently works as a psychologist, educator and political activist in Europe and the United States. In February 2007, after his retirement from the NBA, Amaechi became the first former NBA player to come out publicly after doing so in his memoir Man in the Middle. Since then he has been regarded as "one of the world's most high-profile gay athletes". The son of a Nigerian, Igbo father, Amaechi was born in Boston in the USA. He was raised in Heaton Moor, Stockport, England, with his two younger sisters by his English mother, attending Stockport Grammar School. Amaechi moved to the United States to play high school basketball at St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio. He began playing college basketball at Vanderbilt but transferred to Penn State, where he was a two-time First Team Academic All-American selection. While at Penn State, Amaechi became a motivational public speaker and a mentor for area youth. The 6 ft 10 in, 270 lb (208 cm, 122 kg) center was signed undrafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995. He played 28 games for the Cleveland LESS