National Basketball Association

Nash voices support for gay marriage

Published May. 23, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash voiced his support for gay marriage in a video released Monday by the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

"Hi I'm Steve Nash. I spend my summers in New York and I love playing at the Garden," the two-time MVP point guard said in the short video.

"A growing number of professional athletes are speaking out in support of gay and lesbian couples getting married, I'm proud to be one of them. Join me and the supermajority of New Yorkers who support marriage equality," he continued.

Nash's decision to join the campaign follows in the footsteps of New York Rangers forward Sean Avery, who also appeared in a video for the HRC earlier this month.

It also comes one week after Suns CEO Rick Welts revealed he is gay, and on the heels of two incidents in which high-profile NBA players were caught using an anti-gay slur.

Following Sunday night's playoff loss at Miami, Bulls center Joakim Noah appeared to say, "F*** you, f****t" to a fan who had yelled at him in the first quarter.

Noah apologized after the game, saying he was "caught up in the moment."

Lakers star Kobe Bryant issued an apology last month after TV cameras showed him yelling "f***ing f****t" at a referee who had assessed a technical foul against him.

Bryant, who drew a $100,000 fine from the NBA, said his words were "stupid and ignorant" and not indicative of his views toward homosexuals.