Gay Pro Basketball Player Sebastian Vega Wins & Shows Off His Big Pride Flag

Gay Pro Basketball Player Sebastian Vega Wins & Shows Off His Big Pride Flag

There are many popular images in basketball: players holding up their championship trophies, an athlete making a game-winning slam dunk, players high-fiving each other after a game, but...a Pride Flag? The sports world is changing! Maybe not so much at home in the US, but a popular image is swirling around the web. Gay pro basketball player Sebastian Vega celebrated a recent win by waving a Pride Flag while posing in a basketball hoop. Yassssss!

ORGULLO pic.twitter.com/zG9ESkqYyl

— Boca Básquet (@BasquetBocaJrs) July 21, 2025

Athlete Sebastian Vega plays with the Boca Juniors. Boca Juniors is a sports club in Argentina that boasts a football (soccer) and basketball team. This week, Boca Juniors beat Instituto by 78-77 in nail nail-biting seventh game during the final series in the national league. Sebastian took the opportunity to spread some Pride. He told a local newspaper: “It’s a message of self-improvement: everyone can be who they want and achieve their goals.”

 

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A post shared by Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (@laligabasquet)

This isn't Vega's first time around with Boca Juniors. This 37-year-old athlete originally played with them in his early 20s and rejoined in 2023.

 

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A post shared by Boca Básquet (@basquetbocajrs)

Has the idea of queer athletes in Latin America lost its stigma? Maybe not fully, but it is getting better. The national league in Argentina (LNB) shared Sebastian's post in celebration of Pride. Fans of the rival team, Instituto, had been posting queer slurs on social media. It didn't faze Sebastian, who played extremely well during the match. He told the local media: “The most beautiful thing is that when I raised the flag, all the Boca fans applauded me and were very proud. I think that image will be indelible in my life. I’m excited and happy.” Here's some footage of the magic moment:

[DEPORTES] Con la bandera del orgullo, "Seba" Vega, estrella de Boca, festejó la obtención de la Liga Nacional de Básquet. 🏳️‍🌈

📹 @catalinasarra https://t.co/j5YJgZJSwZ pic.twitter.com/2QXPw2Yizu

— ElCanciller.com (@elcancillercom) July 21, 2025

Vega came out later in life, publicly, in a social media post. He was 31. He told ESPN that leading two separate lives - one as a queer man open with his family and friends, and one as an athlete - was unhealthy for him mentally. After searching for other out athletes and coming up with a very small list, he realized he wasn't doing his part in representation or in changing the narrative. He made history as the first out gay basketball player in Argentina.

Vega is a four-time national league champion - how is that for representation?

 

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A post shared by Sebastian Vega (@sebavega_7)

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