‘He’s better than a good kid; he’s a fantastic kid,” Rivers said Wednesday night after learning that Amaechi acknowledged he is gay. ”John Amaechi, when I was coaching him, was a great kid. He did as much charity work as anybody in our city, and he’s still doing it. That’s what I wish we focused on.

”Unfortunately, we’re talking about his sexual orientation, which I couldn’t care a flying flip about.”

“It was difficult for people to watch Jackie Robinson, and they got used to it. They started watching him and started cheering for him,” Rivers said. ”It would be difficult for fans if the guy couldn’t play. That’s what’s difficult to me, nothing else should matter.”

The way Miami center Shaquille O’Neal sees it, the locker room mentality could also work for a gay player by rallying his teammates to his defense.

”If he was on my team, I guess I would have to protect him from the outsiders,” O’Neal said in Boston on Wednesday night. ”I’m not homophobic or anything. … I’m not the type who judges people. I wish him well.”