NBA News 2015: Eligibility Wait Time For Hall-of-Fame Induction Reduced; NBA Referee Comes Out After Anti-Gay Slur From Rajon Rondo
The Hall-of-Fame committee of the National Basketball Association (NBA) will be reducing the wait time for players to be inducted. Meanwhile, a game official recently came out of the closet, amid the anti-gay slurs that were thrown at him by player Rajon Rondo.
According to a report by NBA.com, the committee has decided to shorten a player's wait time of five seasons in retirement to just four, before being inducted. In essence, a retired player would just have to wait five calendar years, as opposed to five full NBA seasons.
With the new development, players that had bright careers in the late 90's through early 2000's will now be eligible for nomination for the Class of 2016. Among them are names such as Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Yao Ming, and Steve Nash.
Meanwhile, an NBA official has come out of the closet after player Rajon Rondo hurled anti-gay slurs at him. In a report by Yahoo! Sports, the Sacramento Kings point guard uttered the said remarks after he was ejected by referee Bill Kennedy during the team's December 3rd game in Mexico City.
A week after, Kennedy went on to reveal his true sexual orientation.
"I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man," Kennedy said. "I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are."
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also commented on the issue, showing support for the official. After describing Kennedy as a referee of "passion, dedication, and courage", Silver says he supports the official's decision in full.
For his part, Rondo had already offered his apology, through a statement he sent to Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report.
