14 DAY TRIAL // Last April, Jason Collins became the first openly gay male pro athlete in the US, after coming out on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Over the weekend, he signed with The Brooklyn Nets and became the first openly gay active NBA player, USA Today confirms.
News of the deal broke on Twitter, with the official feed of the team making the big announcement. A statement to the aforementioned media outlet followed suit.
“The decision to sign Jason was 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. Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team,” the Nets say.
“Today, I want to commend him on achieving his goal. I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud that our league fosters an inclusive and respectful environment,” the statement continues.
As noted above, Collins decided to come out last year, after living in the closet for a very long time. At the time, he explained that the Boston Marathon bombings made him realize the importance of living truthfully because you could never know what tomorrow might bring.
The tragedy also helped him understand that waiting indefinitely for the “perfect” moment to come out only meant postponing the actual coming out indeterminately.
“No one wants to live in fear. I've always been scared of saying the wrong thing. I don't sleep well. I never have. But each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly. It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret,” Collins wrote.
“I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew. And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time. I still had the same sense of humor, I still had the same mannerisms and my friends still had my back,” he continued.
The star ended his beautiful message by thanking his family and his fans for their love and support, and affirming his hope of one day starting a family of his own.
Official: The #Nets have signed @jasoncollins34 to a 10-day contract.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 23, 2014