2026 LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame inductees announced at Center on Halsted in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's been 13 years since the LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame was founded in Chicago.

This year's class includes a diverse group of figures whose stories of courage, visibility and advocacy reflect sports' evolving landscape.

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Anthony Nicodemo will soon take his place among previous inductees into the LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame.

The basketball coach and athletic director from Westchester County, New York expressed his appreciation for being included in the class of 2026 at the Center on Halsted in Lakeview Tuesday.

He says, part of his career he was in the closet. He was fearful that, if he came out, he would lose his job.

"Getting up every morning and being something you're not is a very difficult thing to do. And for me, I'm a pretty bombastic person. I'm not quiet. So, in a lot of ways, I was living this fraudulent life," Nicodemo said.

Nicodemo came out in 2013, inspired by Jason Collins, the first openly gay NBA player, who is also an inductee this year. Collins and Nicodemo have since become friends.

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"I've won more games since I came out than I did before I came out, and I think there's a correlation there," Nicodemo said.

That courage and resilience is a common thread among this year's inductees, which include 99-year-old Maybelle Blair, a former pitcher and inspiration for the TV series "A League of Their Own."

There's also a familiar face to ABC7 Chicago viewers.

Robin Roberts, a former college basketball star, longtime ESPN anchor and now co-anchor for "Good Morning America" will also be inducted.

Scott Bova, the Hall of Fame chair, says it's important to celebrate these trailblazers to give comfort to countless others in the sports world who are still in the closet.

"The world of sport for us has always been a place where you don't feel fully comfortable. And these individuals have made it easier for myself, for many of us to find a place and live our authentic life," Bova said.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place in New York City in June.

Next year, it returns to its roots. The ceremony will be in Chicago.