Who is athlete Jason Collins?
Jason Paul Collins is an American former professional basketball player, born on December 2, 1978, in Northridge, California. A 7-foot center, he played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for several teams, most notably the New Jersey Nets. Collins was selected in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft and became widely known in 2013 as the first active male athlete in a major North American professional sports league to publicly come out as gay.
Background/biography
Collins grew up in the Los Angeles area with his twin brother, Jarron Collins, who also became an NBA player. The brothers attended Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, California, where they developed as highly regarded basketball prospects.
He continued his education and basketball career at Stanford University, playing for the Stanford Cardinal from 1997 to 2001. During his college years, Collins helped Stanford reach the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four in 1998. His size, physical interior defense, screening and rebounding made him a notable frontcourt player before he entered the NBA.
Basketball career
- Selected 18th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2001 NBA Draft; his rights were traded to the New Jersey Nets on draft night.
- Played for the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008, helping the team reach the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
- Played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets.
- Returned to the Nets in 2014 after becoming a free agent, making him the first openly gay active player in one of North America’s major men’s professional sports leagues.
- Appeared in more than 700 regular-season NBA games during his career.
Although Collins was not primarily known as a high-scoring center, he was valued for defense, physical post play, veteran experience and setting screens for teammates. His longest NBA tenure came with the Nets franchise, where he was part of two consecutive Eastern Conference championship teams.
Collins announced his retirement from professional basketball in 2014.
A landmark moment in professional sports
In April 2013, Collins publicly came out as gay in a first-person essay published by Sports Illustrated. The announcement received widespread attention because he was an active NBA free agent at the time and because few openly LGBTQ+ athletes had been publicly visible in major men’s professional team sports.
When he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in February 2014, he wore jersey number 98. Collins said the number was chosen in memory of Matthew Shepard, whose death in 1998 became a prominent symbol in conversations about anti-LGBTQ+ violence and equality.
Fun facts about Jason Collins
- Jason Collins has an identical twin brother, Jarron Collins, who also played in the NBA.
- Both Collins brothers attended Stanford University and later reached the NBA.
- He played in two NBA Finals with the New Jersey Nets, in 2002 and 2003.
- Collins wore number 98 during his final NBA stint with the Brooklyn Nets in honor of Matthew Shepard.
- He was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2013 following his public announcement.
