You're listening to Unfiltered with James O'Brien, brought to you by Joe.

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of Unfiltered with me James O'Brien.

I'm joined this week by a chat called John Amachee

who was pretty much the first British bloke

to crack the MBA and also one of the first very prominent sportsmen on either side of the

Atlantic to come out, to come out as gay shortly after retiring.

I should also tell you that we have a couple of mutual friends who have been telling me for a decade

that me and John are going to get on brilliantly but I have never actually met him before so bring it on. I'm delighted to introduce you to a man. I've been looking forward to meeting for some time.

I don't know why it's taking so long actually,

John and Meach you, but I'm so glad you're here.

We've got there. We got there. And possibly in the context of the unfiltered guests so far,

we may need a little word of explanation about why

you're here, you're less of a household name in Britain for example than you would be in America.

You are one of the only British basketball players to crack the big time completely in the States.

You also, four years after, or some years, you know, four years after retiring from basketball, you came out publicly as a gay man,

which was pretty close to unprecedented at the time in the context of professional sports in America.

And as a black man, it puts you in an even smaller category of people who have done those things.

So it occurs to me at the beginning of this encounter that there's quite a lot of stuff.

A little bit too.

Relevant to very recent events as well that you'll have a fascinating perspective on but let's begin at the beginning

born in Boston Massachusetts English mom Nigerian dad how did that how did they meet how did that come about it's interesting I was just

telling this to a friend who was at my house that I've got a lovely picture two pictures of my

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