Proud To Run has a history of having Special Guests at the event.
In past years, Special Guests have included Patricia Nell Warren (author of "The Frontrunner"), Esera Tuaolo (openly gay former professional football player), Billy Bean (only living former Major League Baseball player to acknowledge his homosexuality), Wilson Cruz (openly gay actor and gay youth advocate) and George Takei (openly gay actor and activist).
This year, Proud To Run is pleased to announce that John Amaechi, the former NBA player who recently acknowledged he is gay, will be the Special Guest (He will also be the Grand Marshall for this year's 38th Annual Pride Parade).
Raised in Manchester, England, John Amaechi played in the NBA for six seasons and was honored by the basketball Hall of Fame for scoring the first points of the new millennium. In 2001, he formed the ABC Foundation and built the Amaechi Basketball Centre (he plans to build five more), dedicated to personal excellence, mentoring, and counseling young people through sport. He is also the founder of Animus Consulting and a regular commentator on British television.
Amaechi recently completed a book tour for his New York Times bestselling autobiography, Man in the Middle, in which he discusses his life's journey, including his experiences in the NBA.
