Last night Jason Collins walked onto the court wearing his Brooklyn Nets jersey to become the first openly gay athlete to play in one of the four major American professional sports.
The 7-foot center entered during the second quarter to a standing ovation in the stands to assist the Nets win 108-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Collins played for 11 minutes and finished strong with no points, two rebounds, one steal, and five fouls.
“It felt like, ‘I’ve done this thousands of times before,” said Collins after the win. “Once you’re out on the court, it’s about basketball. It’s what I’ve been doing for almost three decades,” he continued.
Collins recognizes the significance of making history, but says he is focusing on getting the job done on the court for the Nets. The 35-year-old player came out in Sports Illustrated in April 2012 and became the first openly gay basketball player. He, however, remained a free agent until he signed a 10-day deal with the Nets.
While the Nets realize the impact of their decision to sign Collins, they say it was purely a basketball decision. “We needed to increase our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract,” Nets general manager Billy King said.
Collins has played 12 NBA seasons. His first seven were with the then-New Jersey Nets and point guard Jason Kidd, who is now the coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
With a number of athletes now becoming open about their homosexuality, this has been an exciting month for Black history and sports. When asked if he feels a shift in attitude about gay players in professional sports, most recently with Michael Sams coming out, Collins replied that he hopes the spotlight remains on their game.
“What Michael said was it was about him being a football player and me being a basketball player, and going out there and trying to help our respective teams win,” Collins said.