Sparks coach Curt Miller shares powerful Pride Month message

As the only openly gay male head coach in basketball, Curt Miller of the Los Angeles Sparks takes his responsibilities as a spokesperson and role model seriously.

Especially during Pride Month.

Before the Sparks' game Monday night against the Las Vegas Aces, Miller elaborated on why he's not afraid to speak out on behalf of those who might one day follow in his footsteps.

"It’s really important to me to continue to provide visibility and representation to the coaches behind me," Miller said. "I didn’t have a role model. I didn’t have someone that I could call and reach out to to navigate as a gay male in sports."

Miller, 55, vowed to "keep carrying that banner" until greater advancement is possible for young gay men in the sport of basketball.

Miller, whose coaching career spans 22 years over Division I and the WNBA, lamented the fact that he's seen "so many gay young men in basketball ... including the NBA and G League drop out of chasing their dream because there's not a lot of visibility or representation besides myself."

He punctuated his pregame remarks with a social media post explaining the reasons for his outspoken advocacy.

"For the longest time, I didn’t want to be known as the gay head coach but just the successful coach," Miller wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "However, too many young coaches are concerned about advancement & opportunities..so I will keep carrying the banner and challenge the decision makers to open doors to others!"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sparks coach Curt Miller offers support for gay men in basketball