The growing acceptance of gay men in sports may be best personified in a sophomoric video produced by Barstool Sports.
Of course, that sentence is written almost entirely in jest. But not totally. Barstool bros–“Stoolies” for short–aren’t exactly known for their enlightened views. Yet, they loved a video featuring an NBA player performing a skit with his gay doppelgänger.
Mmmhmm… an NBA player was part of the action, too. Now are you paying attention?
How about we take this to the next level?
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Barstool personality Caleb Presley recently “interviewed” Toronto Raptors forward Gradey Dick about, well, what you would expect. About one minute through, he introduces a Barstool podcaster, Joey Canasta, who was also there for the shoot.
Canasta is openly gay, and claims his boyfriend looks exactly like Dick Gradey.
“He does look like you. He dances like you,” Canasta says.
Right on cue, his boyfriend entered the room, wearing an identical red sequin jacket.
“What’s up twin?” he said.
“Nice to meet you, Billy,” Gradey replied.
Kind of got the same flow,” he added.
From there, the boys proceeded to bond, through their affinity for TikTok dances and sophomoric humor. “He came out of the womb with me,” said Billy.
Related*
Former NFL player Torrey Smith calls out “straight meat watchers” in the locker room
The ex-receiver says straight male reporters are awkward around undressed players…
It wasn’t long ago when pro athletes ran away from the “gay label,” viewing any affiliation with queer people as a potential career-ender.
New York Mets star Mike Piazza infamously held a press conference announcing he was “heterosexual,” and Super Bowl winner Troy Aikman carried on a 20-year feud with a sportswriter who insinuated he was gay in a book.
More recently, NFL QB Aaron Rodgers, who’s expressed support for LGBTQ+ rights, abandoned his gay teammate and former friend when gay rumors about him surfaced.
But Gradey, another Zoomer athlete with a large social media presence, clearly isn’t afraid about being tied to gay people–or embracing his flamboyancy.
He has an irreverent TikTok page that’s full of goofy videos.
Gradey made quite the statement last summer, when he wore his red sequin jacket to the NBA Draft. The Toronto Raptors selected the sharpshooter with the No. 13 overall pick in 2023.
His fun-loving demeanor is similar to Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain, whose painted nails stole the show at this year’s event.
A five-star recruit, Gradey played one season of college ball with the Kansas Jayhawks. He averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
In a previous era, Gradey probably would’ve stuck around in college for another year or two. But nowadays, talented players often turn pro as fast as they can.
With that in mind, Gradey struggled at the start of his rookie campaign. But the NBA season is long.
The real question for Dick was the most important: how would he finish?
And Dick finished… strong! He wound up averaging 8.5 points per game, and scored a career-high 23 points in March.
With his sophomore season on the horizon, Gradey is ready to earn more minutes. And fortunately, it doesn’t seem like he’s losing his good spirit.
Just ask his gay lookalike!
Related*
Novak Djokovic & Grigor Dimitrov take their bromance to new heights with a post-match strip tease
The tennis greats aren’t afraid to get down…
Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to stay on top of the hottest stories in LGBTQ+ entertainment, politics, and culture.
