Jason Collins is an NBA name that name fans may not know, but after coming out as gay while still active in an SI cover story on Monday surely will get them to know his name from now on.
Collins became the first openly gay active player in the four major professional sports and he now says he can live honestly after hiding for so many years. Collins has played for six teams over 12 seasons and has been to the playoffs nine times, including twice to the finals. He played this season in Boston before being traded to the Washington Wizards and now he is a free agent.
Collins has received support from many NBA peers as well as others around the world, one of the most prominent being former US President Bill Clinton, who said that he got to know Jason while he was at Stanford and a classmate of his daughter, Chelsea Clinton,. Collins played basketball at Stanford and Clinton said that he supports and respects Collins for his decision.
Clinton wrote in a release about Collins: "I have known Jason Collins since he was Chelsea's classmate and friend at Stanford. Jason's announcement today is an important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT community. It is also the straightforward statement of a good man who wants no more than what so many of us seek: to be able to be who we are; to do our work; to build families and to contribute to our communities. For so many members of the LGBT community, these simple goals remain elusive. I hope that everyone, particularly Jason's colleagues in the NBA, the media and his many fans extend to him their support and the respect he has earned."
