"It has been 18 exhilarating months since I came out in Sports Illustrated as the first openly gay man in one of the four major professional team sports. And it has been nine months since I signed with the Nets and became the first openly gay male athlete to appear in a game in one of those leagues," Collins wrote. "It feels wonderful to have been part of these milestones for sports and for gay rights, and to have been embraced by the public, the coaches, the players, the league and history."
The 7-foot center, who publicly announced in April 2013 that he is gay, signed with the Brooklyn Nets in February of last season, playing in 22 games. Selected by the Houston Rockets in the 2001 draft and traded to the then-New Jersey Nets, Collins will finish his 13-year career with averages of 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
More from the Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, announced his retirement on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old Collins played 22 games with the Brooklyn Nets last season and was not on the roster this season.
He announced his retirement in a first-person story for Sports Illustrated, saying it has been "been 18 exhilarating months" since he came out as the first openly gay man in one of the four major North American professional leagues.
He started his career with the New Jersey Nets in 2001 and rejoined the franchise in Brooklyn in February. He had a number of former teammates on the Brooklyn team, including former coach Jason Kidd.
Collins thanked Kidd for his support, "considering all the speculation about problems I might face within the locker room." Collins says he's "happy to have helped put those canards to rest."
from Sports - The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1uw79Hp
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