FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Former University of Kentucky basketball star and NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was back in Kentucky Tuesday, but it wasn't on or even near a court. The 2012 national title-winning teammate was championing another cause, one that, for him, is even bigger than basketball.
Kidd-Gilchrist, who has had a stutter his whole life, testified to a senate committee in Frankfort, advocating for a bill to expand insurance coverage of speech therapy services for stuttering.
"This state has always been a big part of my life," said Kidd-Gilchrist, "I never would have thought that I would be here today, advocating for people in this state, for kids and adults who stutter like that."
Kidd-Gilchrist was joined by Senate Bill 111's co-author, Senator Whitney Westerfield, who says Kidd-Gilchrist brought the idea to him.
"This bill eliminates some arbitrary caps and limits on what coverage is available. Speech therapy includes coverage for stuttering today, but there are some arbitrary restrictions on that; the number of speech therapy sessions you can have, or whether or not you develop the stutter as a child, or if you had some event later in life that caused a stutter. There may be some restrictions on your coverage then," Sen. Westerfield said.
Kidd-Gilchrist became emotional, wiping tears from his eyes, as the senate committee passed the bill.
"I was just proud of myself, man," he told LEX 18 after the hearing. "I'm excited to do something like this. I'm excited to be a leader."
Kidd-Gilchrist said the day was monumental. And for someone who's no stranger to the big stage, this was bigger.
"I'm a human first, and I think people see that in me. I'm not just a person who plays ball."
Kidd-Gilchrist hopes he can advocate for similar legislation in other states as well.
