Jason Collins remembers the words of support he got after coming out as gay in 2013, and has spread that message in the years since.
“In my opinion, out of all the major professional leagues, I believe the NBA is the best. My former coaches, teammates, folks in the NBA league office, all reached out with words of support when I made my announcement,” Collins, who will be participating in a panel conversation on Thursday to discuss life as an LGBTQ athlete, as part of Airbnb’s WorldPride pop-up in the Meatpacking District, told The Post this week.
Collins, 40, made history in 2013 as the first active athlete in one of the four major North American sports leagues to come out as gay. Now, working under the NBA Cares umbrella, Collins goes around speaking to members of NBA franchises to educate them on the LGBTQ community. Collins also noted how the NBA and WNBA were the first major sports leagues to participate in New York’s Pride parade.
“We had active players on our float last year, showing their allyship. [Lakers forward] Reggie Bullock, [Cavaliers center] John Henson, to name a couple who were there,” Collins said. “It’s so key for those people who are allies to show their visibility as well, not just talk the talk but actually walk the walk.”
Collins was selected 18th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2001 NBA Draft, and in the twilight of a respectable career, came out as gay at the conclusion of the 2013 season that he had spent with the Celtics and Wizards. As a free agent, he signed a 10-day contract with the Nets in February 2014. He inked another 10-day deal in early March and ultimately signed on for the remainder of the season, before announcing his retirement in the fall of that year.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t really see any other male professional athletes coming out as gay and continuing to play their sport,” Collins said. “The game plan, the playbook, was to wait a couple years when you are retired, and then make an announcement, but I reached a point in my life when I felt comfortable and ready to step forward and continue to play my sport. And because of the team I had around me, and the reputation I had earned as a professional athlete for so many years, I was able to make it back into the NBA, get signed as a free agent and, of course, make history in the process.”
Before his history-making moment, Collins said he spoke to John Amaechi, who became the first retired NBA player to come out as gay in February 2007.
“John had some great advice for me, and know that when you do step forward, there will be a community of people waiting to support you and accept you for who you are,” Collins said.
Collins is excited about this year’s Pride festivities, which he teased will be “bigger and better than ever,” and is looking forward to sharing the panel with Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy, who came out publicly in 2015.
“I think we’re going to be talking about our experiences as professional athletes and just the impact that our lives have had on the LGBTQ community and the sports community, and I’m really looking forward to hearing what Gus has to say and having a great conversation,” Collins said.
Collins’ panel with Kenworthy is set for June 27 at 11 a.m.