Tweet
Jason Collins says he's gayUpdated: April 29, 2013, 11:49 AM ETESPN.com news services Recommend257Tweet0Comments172EmailPrintNBA center Jason Collins on Monday announced that he's gay in a story for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active player in a major American team sport to announce that he is gay.
"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation," Collins wrote. "I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."
Collins
The 34-year-old Collins, who is a free agent, ended last season with the Washington Wizards after being traded by the Boston Celtics.
"Now I'm a free agent, literally and figuratively. I've reached that enviable state in life in which I can do pretty much what I want. And what I want is to continue to play basketball," he wrote. "I still love the game, and I still have something to offer. My coaches and teammates recognize that. At the same time, I want to be genuine and authentic and truthful."
Collins wrote that he first considered coming out during the 2011 NBA lockout, which interrupted his routine and "forced me to confront who I really am and what I really want."
He said the first relative he told he was gay was his aunt Teri, who is a superior court judge in San Francisco. He said she told him, "I've know you were gay for years," which made him "comfortable in my own skin."
Collins said he realized he needed to make his sexual orientation public when his former roomate at Stanford, Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy, who is straight, marched in Boston's Gay Pride Parade last year.
The Boston Marathon bombings earlier this month then reinforced to him "that I shouldn't wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?
"When I told Joe a few weeks ago that I was gay, he was grateful that I trusted him. He asked me to join him in 2013. We'll be marching on June 8," Collins wrote.
In 713 career games with the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Celtics and Wizards, Collins has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.
"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation," Collins wrote. "I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."
Collins
The 34-year-old Collins, who is a free agent, ended last season with the Washington Wizards after being traded by the Boston Celtics.
"Now I'm a free agent, literally and figuratively. I've reached that enviable state in life in which I can do pretty much what I want. And what I want is to continue to play basketball," he wrote. "I still love the game, and I still have something to offer. My coaches and teammates recognize that. At the same time, I want to be genuine and authentic and truthful."
Collins wrote that he first considered coming out during the 2011 NBA lockout, which interrupted his routine and "forced me to confront who I really am and what I really want."
He said the first relative he told he was gay was his aunt Teri, who is a superior court judge in San Francisco. He said she told him, "I've know you were gay for years," which made him "comfortable in my own skin."
Collins said he realized he needed to make his sexual orientation public when his former roomate at Stanford, Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy, who is straight, marched in Boston's Gay Pride Parade last year.
The Boston Marathon bombings earlier this month then reinforced to him "that I shouldn't wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?
"When I told Joe a few weeks ago that I was gay, he was grateful that I trusted him. He asked me to join him in 2013. We'll be marching on June 8," Collins wrote.
In 713 career games with the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Celtics and Wizards, Collins has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Comment