Jason Paul Collins was born on December 2,1978 and is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association.
28 Facts About Jason Collins
2.
Jason Collins went on to play for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets.
3.
Jason Collins became a free agent and did not play again until February 2014, when he signed with the Nets and became the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of four major North American pro sports leagues.
4.
Jason Collins was born in Los Angeles, California, in the Northridge neighborhood.
5.
Jason Collins was born eight minutes ahead of his twin brother Jarron, who became an NBA player.
6.
Jason Collins played at Stanford University with brother Jarron for the Cardinal in the Pacific-10 Conference.
7.
In 2001, Jason Collins was named to All-Pac-10 first team, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches voted him to their third-team All-American team.
8.
On February 4,2008, Jason Collins was traded along with cash considerations to the Memphis Grizzlies for Stromile Swift.
9.
On June 26,2008, Collins was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an eight-player deal involving Kevin Love and O J Mayo.
10.
Jason Collins signed with the Atlanta Hawks on September 2,2009.
11.
On July 31,2012, Jason Collins signed a contract with the Boston Celtics.
12.
Jason Collins became a free agent in July 2013, and stated that he intended to pursue another contract.
13.
Jason Collins was not invited by any team to training camp, but he worked out at his home waiting for an opportunity.
14.
On February 23,2014, Jason Collins signed a 10-day contract to rejoin the Nets, who had since moved to Brooklyn.
15.
Nets coach Jason Kidd, who became good friends with Collins while teammates in New Jersey from 2001 to 2008, was an advocate of signing Collins.
16.
Jason Collins played 11 minutes that night against the Lakers at the Staples Center, becoming the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues.
17.
Jason Collins chose to wear No 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 murder was widely reported as a hate crime and ultimately led to the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.
18.
On March 5,2014, Jason Collins signed a second 10-day contract with the Nets.
19.
On March 15,2014, Jason Collins signed with the Nets for the rest of the season.
20.
On November 19,2014, Jason Collins announced his retirement from professional basketball after 13 seasons in the NBA.
21.
Jason Collins had low career averages in the NBA of 3.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, and 41 percent shooting from the field, and never averaged more than seven points or seven rebounds in a season.
22.
Jason Collins was a physical player defending the post, boxed out well, and excelled at setting screens.
23.
Jason Collins was precise in executing coaches' defensive strategies, and he read the opponents' movements well and communicated on defense.
24.
Jason Collins had a reputation for being a team leader, and earned consistent praise for his professionalism and intelligence on the court.
25.
Jason Collins was in an eight-year relationship with former WNBA center Carolyn Moos, and the two were engaged to be married, but Jason Collins called off the wedding in 2009.
26.
Jason Collins wrote that he wished to maintain his privacy in regard to specific details of his personal life, and that he is not in a relationship.
27.
Jason Collins said a "notorious antigay hate crime", the murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998, led him to choose "98" for his jersey number, in Shepard's honor.
28.
Since June 2014, Jason Collins has been in a relationship with producer Brunson Green.