American basketball center who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After the 2012–2013 NBA season concluded, Collins publicly came out as gay. He became a free agent and did not play again until February 2014, when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets and became the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of four major North American pro sports leagues. In April 2014, Collins featured on the cover of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.”
Collins was born eight minutes ahead of his identical twin brother Jarron, who also became an NBA player.
He played college basketball for Stanford University, where he was an All-American in 2000–2001, before being drafted 18th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. He went on to play for the New Jersey Nets (2001-2008), Memphis Grizzlies (2008), Minnesota Timberwolves (2008-2009), Atlanta Hawks (2009-2012), Boston Celtics (2012-2013), Washington Wizards (2013) and Brooklyn Nets (2014).
Jason Collins was in an eight-year relationship with former WNBA center Carolyn Moos, and the two were engaged to be married, but Collins called off the wedding in 2009. In the cover story of the 6 May 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated, a first person story by Collins with journalist Franz Lidz, and posted on the magazine’s website on 29 April 2013, he came out as gay. Moos, expressed conflicted feelings and said she only learned Collins was gay shortly before the Sports Illustrated cover story.
On the day it was released, the Sports Illustrated story drew a record 3.7 million visitors to the magazine’s website, SI.com.
The New York Times called his 2014 signing with Brooklyn “perhaps basketball’s most celebrated and scrutinized 10-day contract.” His No. 98 jersey became the top seller on the NBA’s online store.
As of June 2014, Collins was in a relationship with producer Brunson Green.
Link to Wikipedia biography