Reggie Bullock's mission is fueled by his tragic family story.

The former North Carolina wing and current Detroit Pistons shooting guard's sister was brutally murdered in Baltimore in 2014. The killing was deemed a hate crime as Mia Henderson, Bullock's sister, was a transgender woman. She was born Kevin Long.

Since the murder, Bullock has become an outspoken voice for LBGTQ and transgender rights and awareness. Bullock once struggled to understand and accept his transgender sister, but since he has learned more about it and has used his platform as an NBA player to bring more attention to the subject.

"I always thought about what my teammates would think," he said on a video put out by the Pistons. "I just didn't know so much about it, and I wasn't as comfortable with it."

Bullock started 52 games for the Pistons in 2017-18, averaging 11.3 points per game.

After Mia's death, Bullock has used his platform to become a leader in transgender support and awareness. He doesn't shy away from topic. Instead, he is open to discussion with the hope of bringing new eyes and ears to the arena.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, "fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color," and a report last year found that 84 percent of transgender victims of fatal violence in 2017 were people of color. (From an aplus.com article)

Bullock has a new tattoo on his leg that reads "LGBTQ" along with his sister's name. He has met with and joined numerous organizations with the intent to end homophobia and transphobia in sports. His involvement with Athlete Ally has worked to demand that all schools in the Power Five conferences publicly adopt the NCAA's guidelines for transgender participation in college sports.

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Over the weekend at the GLAAD Awards, Bullock gave a loving tribute to his late sister and talked about his commitment to advocating for trans women. He expressed how he once had a dream about playing in a rainbow-colored jersey to incorporate LGTBQ into sports, urging the NBA to help make it happen.

"I have this dream of playing basketball in a rainbow jersey and I'm going to make it happen." @ReggieBullock35 #GLAADawards pic.twitter.com/FC7ZsSRQmt — GLAAD (@glaad) May 6, 2018

After three seasons with North Carolina (2010-2013), Bullock was selected No. 25 overall in the 2013 NBA draft. He played with the Clippers and Suns and in the G-League before landing with the Pistons in 2015. The 2017-18 season was Bullock's best in the NBA to date. He played in 62 games, starting 52, and averaged 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Bullock shot 48.9 percent from the field and 44.5 percent from three.

Bullock is in a unique position as a professional basketball star. The issues of the transgender and LGBTQ communities are rarely breached in the sports world. Bullock's aiming to change that. His words and actions could play a huge role in developing awareness with a new audience.