First openly gay nba player

To that end, over his last two seasons,during which time he played for three teams, the Boston Celtics, the Washington Wizards, and the aforementioned Nets, he wore number 98 in tribute to former University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, whose murder helped create state and federal hate crime laws aimed at prosecuting people who targeted gay people with violence.

You've chosen well, and so has he! According to People MagazineSpencer attended the wedding ceremony of Collins and Greene, and shared her elation over the newlywed couple to her Instagram account. You're still in that mindset of being an athlete and helping kids.

At the time, she noted in an interview with ESPNthat the environment for women who come out is drastically different than it is for men. That jersey was one of the top sellers in the league at the time, and has since been sent to the Smithsonian Institution.

O n Sept. But he's going to find that his actions have inspired not only people who are younger than him but older than him.

Jason Collins Stanford NBA

Story by Daniel Johnson. Former NBA center Jason Collins -- the league's first openly gay player -- is receiving treatment for a brain tumor. I've met many people who have come up to me and told me how my story has impacted them. Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, ) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

In a interview with The AthleticCollins noted that there remains a need for male athletes who are gay to come out, because it normalizes and humanizes gay people, in particular, gay men, who are still often targets of hatred.

Collins announced he was gay inbecoming the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four main North American. You don't know what to say. Love you, B! InCollins told People Magazine that before he came out publicly, only his friends and family really knew the reason why he chose to wear number 98 across his chest and his back.

Collins, a former first-round pick in the NBA draft, had a solid, if unremarkable year-career as a center, his most remarkable feat while he played in the NBA, was his public coming out via a Sports Illustrated article.

Notably, also inBrittney Griner became the first openly gay WNBA player to be drafted out of college when the Phoenix Mercury drafted her with the first overall pick. He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, where he was an All-American in – (AP) - Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who now serves as an ambassador for the league, is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor, his family said Thursday.

But he's helping people across the board, of all ages," Collins said. I can't tell you the amount of people who were decades older than me who came up to me and said how my story impacted them. Griner played at Baylor University, a Baptist affiliated private university.

Jason and his family welcome your support and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as they dedicate their attention to Jason's health and well-being," the statement read. Every time I put on that jersey, it was just a silent acknowledgment to myself and to my friends and family - who knew why I was wearing that number - of being a proud gay black man playing in the NBA.

Sort of hiding in plain sight," Collins noted.