Jason Colls, first openly gay athlete to play NBA, mak U.S. sports history

After a 13-year reer the NBA, Jason Colls, the first openly gay profsnal basketball player, is retirg. Eighteen months ago Colls me out as gay through a first person article published Sports Illtrated. In the first le he wrote, “I am a 34-year old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.” He announced his plans to retire today, aga through first person, this time on The Players’ Tribune. * first openly gay nba player *

On Febary 23, 2014, Brooklyn Nets center Jason Colls be the first openly gay athlete to play a game the Uned Stat’ four major profsnal leagu. The 35-year-old journeyman plays 10 srels mut, rerdg two rebounds and five fouls the Nets’ 108-102 victory over the Los Angel May 2013, Colls revealed he is gay a first-person say Sports Illtrated.

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, REFLECTS ON LEGACY, LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

NBA center Jason Colls on Monday announced that he's gay a story for Sports Illtrated, beg the first active player one of the four major Amerin profsnal team sports to announce that he is gay. * first openly gay nba player *

“The ironic thg about the dread “D” word is that I had never felt more fortable playg basketball than I was as an openly gay man, ” he wrote.

Addrsg the lack of openly gay players, Colls wrote that we are not “there” yet when to acceptg openly gay players major league sports. Jason Colls says he's news servicApr 29, 2013, 11:46 AM ETNBA center Jason Colls on Monday announced that he's gay a story for Sports Illtrated, beg the first active player one of the four major Amerin profsnal team sports to announce that he is gay.

Last year, durg his re-electn mpaign, Print Barack Obama announced his support for gay after Colls disclosed his sexualy, Obama reached out by phone, exprsg his support and tellg Colls he was imprsed by his urage, the Whe Hoe Print Bill Clton, whose dghter Chelsea attend Stanford wh Colls, also appld Colls' announcement.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

There have only been two openly gay NBA players. Jason Colls beme the first active player to e out 2013. John Amaechi me out 2007 after he retired. * first openly gay nba player *

"Jason's announcement today is an important moment for profsnal sports and the history of the LGBT [lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr] muny, " he said a statement. "Colls said he realized he need to make his sexual orientatn public when his former roommate at Stanford, Massachetts ngrsman Joe Kennedy, who is straight, marched Boston's Gay Pri Para last Boston Marathon bombgs earlier this month then rerced to him "that I shouldn't wa for the circumstanc of my g out to be perfect.

98 wh the Celtics and Wizards -- 1998 was the year that Matthew Shepard, a gay llege stunt Wyomg, was killed, and the Trevor Project, a suici preventn anizatn, was found. "Sayg 'I'm gay' sets a new standard of honty, openns and teamwork that will posively affect athlet and fans at every level of sports.

THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

The gay athlet have broken through the noise to fd they n be accepted as gay athlet basketball. * first openly gay nba player *

One ESPN mentator, Chris Brosard, exprsed both his admiratn for Colls’ bravery and his belief that Colls uld not be both gay and christian. Tennis great Marta Navratilova, who had somewhat unbelievably e out 1981, praised Colls and exprsed her hope that this would help end homophobia team sports and lead to more players g out. The difference reactn between Ameachi’s and Colls’ statements is a sign of the growth acceptance of gay people between 2007 and 2013.

Lebron Jam said “Wh teammat you have to be tstworthy, and if you’re gay and you’re not admtg that you are, then you are not tstworthy”. Today, we’re rewdg to 2007 and the story of the former pro athlete who beme the first NBA player to e out as gay: John Amaechi.

“I am simply dog what a good person of nscience would do, which is makg people aware that gay people don’t jt look like Jack om ‘Will and Grace, ’ and that they don’t want to jump your bon every ocsn and that some are mp and some are butch and that we’re different and we’re eful and we are here. His guaranteed ntract wh the Jazz set his md at ease, and was there that he began venturg out to gay tablishments and buildg a mostly gay circle of iends (the first wi circle of iends of his life, acrdg to the book). “Those gmpy social nservativ who ntue to sist that gay life is lonely and unhappy have obvly never met my iends, ” Amaechi wrote.

FORMER NBA, KENTUCKY PLAYER ISAAC HUMPHRI OUT AS ONLY ACTIVE GAY PLAYER TOP-TIER MEN'S BASKETBALL

NBA veteran Jason Colls be the first openly gay athlete to play a major US sports league, and is given a warm receptn by spectators. * first openly gay nba player *

He also acknowledg that those gay clubs like New York’s Splash and Los Angel’ Abbey who have claimed the past to have spotted him there while he was wh the Jazz may, fact, have done so. In a 2002 terview wh the Stsman newspaper, Amaechi had this to say about the subject of gays the NBA: “If you look at our league, mori aren’t very well reprented. The book also offers sight to the closed world of profsnal sports, cludg Amaechi’s spired and iendly polil arguments wh Karl Malone, what he lled the betrayal of Orlando Magic management, kd words om former Indiana ach Bobby Knight, his regret that he never told Greg Ostertag, “the gentle big man” whom he rpected, that he was gay when Ostertag asked him while they played together Utah, his rpect for then-Rockets ach Jeff Van Gundy, and his lack of rpect for Jazz ach Jerry Sloan.

While the book giv a glimpse to the life of the first openly gay former NBA player, more importantly pats a picture of a man whose ditn to philanthropy once led him to turn down a $17 ln ntract wh the Los Angel Lakers.

The LGBT movement emerged as early as the 1870s, but homosexual rights groups didn't appear until after World War II September 1945.

HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL

Former NBA player Jason Colls beme the first openly gay athlete playg a major Amerin team sport. He got support even om many people, cludg the POTUS. * first openly gay nba player *

" We, as a untry, need to une and not jt bee of the tragic gay nightclub shootg Orlando, Florida, that occurred last summer.

His fay reportedly had mixed emotns towards the announcement, but he still changed the game, beg the first Divisn I men's basketball player to e out as gay and play gam. When then-Phoenix Suns print and CEO Rick Welts me out as gay May 2011, former NBA pot guard Steve Nash pledged his support favor of the LGBT muny. Nash said the vio, "A growg number of profsnal athlet are speakg out support of gay and lbian upl gettg married, I'm proud to be one of them.

Asi om his open support for gay rights, he also ns the Steve Nash Foundatn, which helps children who are affected by poverty, illns, abe or neglect, and creat opportuny for tn, play, and empowerment, Phoenix, Arizona, and Brish Columbia, Canada. In his hman year at Villanova, he first me out as gay to his teammate and roommate Mike Villa before nfsg to his parents three months later.

JASON COLLS BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER

Jason Colls be the first openly gay man the NBA wh a 10-day ntract wh the Brooklyn Nets. * first openly gay nba player *

Last year, the NBA moved s 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carola, due to the state's law that lims anti-discrimatn protectns for lbian, gay and transgenr people. He publicly shared he is gay a vio published Wednday morng Atralian time, and he jos former NBA player Jason Colls -- who announced his sexualy 2013 -- as the only players a top-tier basketball league to announce they are gay the midst of their playg reer. And the ma reason behd me beg so low and beg that pot is bee I was very much stgglg wh my sexualy and g to terms wh the fact that I'm gay.

Colls announced he is gay April 2013, shortly after the NBA season end, and he beme the first openly gay player to appear a top-tier basketball league Febary 2014 as a member of the Nets.

When John Amaechi me out publicly 2007, he was ahead of his time, sharg that he’s gay and a former profsnal basketball player. Sce Colls showed the world you uld be a gay man profsnal basketball, there has been a trickle of gay athlet to follow, most recently former NBA player and current Atralian pro basketball player Isaac Humphri.

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY N.B.A. PLAYER, SIGNS WH NETS AND APPEARS GAME

* first openly gay nba player *

Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, A Boston Celtics player 2012, Mr Colls will rejo the team he has played seven of his 12 seasons whVeteran basketball player Jason Colls has bee the first openly gay athlete to play a petive game for a major US profsnal sports league. Colls entered the urt at the start of the send quarter a game agast the Los Angel 35-year-old centre, who has played for five other NBA teams, was given a warm receptn by the only revealed he was gay a Sports Illtrated magaze terview last the time he was not signed to a source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Print Obama, probably the world's most famo basketball fan, ved Mr Colls to his state dner for France's Print Hollan FebaryNeedg another big man, the Nets turned to the seven-foot Colls, who helped them reach two NBA Fals the early 2000s.

''The news as Michael Sam, another US sportsman who recently revealed he is gay, prepar to take part Amerin Football's NFL Sutg Combe - a showse of llege players lookg to be signed by NFL May, Los Angel Galaxy footballer Robbie Rogers beme the first openly gay male athlete to play a US profsnal league. Uniform for the first time sce last sprg, when he announced that he was signg reprents a signifint step toward transformg North Amerin profsnal sports to a more welg environment for gay athlet. — the ntent’s other three tradnal major sports leagu — have never had a publicly gay very act of Colls’s sug up and steppg onto the urt — he entered the game to warm applse the send quarter — reprented a tone the effort to change a sports culture that some feel has lagged far behd society at large acceptance of gay people.

JASON COLLS IS THE 1ST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER AND WAS ENGAGED TO A WOMAN — INSI HIS STORY

Jason Colls, who beme the first openly gay athlete North Ameri's four regnized major team sports when he played for the Brooklyn Nets last season, is retirg. * first openly gay nba player *

”“Today Jason Colls tore open the last remag closet Ameri, ” said Brian Ellner, a foundg member of Athlete Ally, a nonprof that rais awarens about homophobia sports. ”Colls is re-enterg an Amerin sports landspe that has changed for gay athlet sce he last Rogers, 26, me out publicly last Febary while simultaneoly announcg that he would retire om profsnal soccer. But Rogers changed urse May, jog the Los Angel Galaxy and gog on to play 11 gam last this month, Michael Sam, 24, announced that he was gay shortly after pletg a four-year llege football reer at Missouri.

JASON COLLS BE FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER

Derrick Gordon, a sophomore starter for the Universy of Massachetts men's basketball team, stepped forward Wednday as the first openly gay player Divisn I men's llege basketball, sharg his story wh ESPN and Outsports. * first openly gay nba player *

A., misspelled, some pi, the surname of a foundg member of Athlete Ally, a nonprof anizatn foced on endg homophobia and transphobia sports. He is Brian Ellner, not we handle rrectnsA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn D, Page 3 of the New York edn wh the headle: Colls, First Openly Gay N. ”Fortunately, was what he need to bee fortable his own sk, pecially bee he always knew he was gay but didn’t want to accept .

JASON COLLINS’ FIANCÉEComg back to former WNBA center Carolyn Moos, she was as shocked – or even more so – as the rt of the world at Jason Colls beg gay. Colls beme the first openly gay player to play one of the four major Amerin pro sports leagu after signg a tone ntract wh the Brooklyn Nets on sued up, went through warmups then entered the game the send quarter on Sunday night when the Nets faced the Lakers his hometown of Los Angel. Prokhorov, who ran agast Vladimir Put the 2012 Rsian printial electns, has been an outspoken opponent of Rsia's "gay propaganda laws, " llg them "a breach of the ternatnal nventns of human rights and eedoms we have signed" and "an gement on personal eedom.

‘THERE IS THAT FEAR’: JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, ON WHY THERE HASN’T BEEN A SEND

Jacksonville Jaguars associate strength ach Kev Maxen has e out as gay. His announcement is a first for a male ach a major U.S.-based profsnal league. * first openly gay nba player *

And other gay athlet who are out have siar stori to seven years after Colls’ reveal, no NBA player has followed the trail he blazed. Yet there are currently zero openly gay athlet the NBA, NFL or I had a simple qutn for the 7-footer when we spoke after an NBA Car event on Thursday of All-Star Weekend: Why is that?

Bee remas hugely important and impactful, a gay athlete n’t really atta the personal benefs whout beg bombard wh qutns and shoved, willgly or unwillgly, to the role of advote or athlete uld, of urse, e out privately, to those close to him or her, whout makg a grand public announcement. ”Challeng remaAnd so we’re back to the subject of why, Colls’ words, gay male athlet “jt aren’t ready, ” and what n be done to assuage their fears.

Jason Colls beme the first openly gay man to play the NBA on Sunday night, wearg a Brooklyn Nets uniform a game agast the Los Angel Lakers. When Colls took the urt, he beme the first openly gay athlete any of the major Amerin team sports – baseball, football, basketball and hockey. Jason Colls, the first openly gay player any major Amerin sports league, announced his retirement an article Sports Illtrated, Colls said he was happy to prove all the doubters wrong when he played for the Brooklyn Nets last season after g out as gay.

OPENLY GAY PLAYER JASON COLLS PLAYS THE NBA

A Connecticut native has bee the first openly gay NFL ach. * first openly gay nba player *

"It has been 18 exhilaratg months sce I me out Sports Illtrated as the first openly gay man one of the four major profsnal team sports, " Colls wrote. "And has been ne months sce I signed wh the Nets and beme the first openly gay male athlete to appear a game one of those leagu.

It feels wonrful to have been part of the ton for sports and for gay rights, and to have been embraced by the public, the ach, the players, the league and history. He quickly beme a kd of ambassador for gay rights, speakg at the Uned Natns and attendg Print Barack Obama's annual State of the Unn addrs as a gut of first lady Michelle Obama.

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, RETIR

"I thk a lot of young people out there who are gay or lbian who are stgglg wh the issu to see a role mol like that, who's unaaid, I thk 's a great thg.

In his lumn announcg his retirement, Colls bemoaned the lack of openly gay players any of the other major Amerin sports leagu. When we get to the pot where a gay pro athlete is no longer forced to live fear that he'll be shunned by teammat or outed by tabloids, when we get to the pot where he plays while his signifint other was the fay room, when we get to the pot where he's not pelled to hi his te self and is able to live an thentic life, then g out won't be such a big al.

THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?

And, you know, for - I thk a lot of young people out there who, you know, are, you know, gay or lbian who are stgglg wh the issu; to see a role mol like that who's unaaid, I thk 's a great So athlet, ach, we want to hear om you.

In 2011, Charl Barkley, a man known for his mon sense but never for his tact, said plaly, he was sure that every player has played wh gay guys; and went on: It bothers me when I hear the reporters and jocks get on TV and say oh, no guy n e out as a team sport. We bond outsi of the sport, and I jt - I was close to the people, but them beg gay no way changed the sport or my opn of them.

And I thk if perceptn of the few change, then that reflects more on the public perceptn of somebody beg gay than Jason Colls. But even if they had been - and I hope this is a feelg that is g up the younger generatn - that beg gay or straight really don't matter to who you are as a person. If he's a good player, I want to play wh him, and I want to learn om him - gay or As you probably know better than I, though, for example the European soccer leagu, there's a lot of homophobia.

UMASS' DERRICK GORDON SAYS HE'S GAY

There was Chris Brosard, the NBA analyst on ESPN, on an edn of "Outsi the L, " where he scribed homosexualy as an open rebelln to God. And if you're livg openly unrepentant s, whatever may be, not jt homosexualy, adultery, fornitn, pre-maral sex between homosexuals, whatever may be, I believe that's walkg open rebelln to God and to J Christ. There's no doubt my md that beg gay, jt stgglg wh my sexualy and beg teased for by the other boys, kept me off the basketball urt.

Like many LGBT youth, I opted for dividual sports - track and field and cross-untry to Colls, the young on pee-wee football today won't know a world whout an openly gay, male, pro athlete.

I like this show a Thank I jt wanted to say that if anythg, all the major sports should be happy about this bee 's openg up a whole new TV mographic for them, and if anythg, 's gog to raise the ratgs bee now the gays and bisexuals and lbians have someone to root for. To start, Colls mak the classic manver of exemptg himself om the dread label, gay label - I'm never sure what that means - and then spends most multiple paragraphs tellg how butch and eager to foul he is.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Oh, y, the good old gay stereotype, you know, sissi and femme swishy typ that make the sporty on look lucky for , Colls mak clear that he will be as tough and mascule and profsnal as he has always been bee he's not gog to sudnly bee that kd of gay. But I jt n't get wh when his self-reventn is predited on the nigratn of a whole swath of the muny he now hop to pri march 're talkg about the history ma yterday by Jason Colls, who me out as gay.

I'm skippg to about halfway through his piece - I know that some nversatn the days to e, perhaps not public discsn but certa private gmblg, will clud qutns about why Colls has to rock the boat, why the news media is payg such lavish heed to him, and why gays and lbians general make such a fs of thgs.

JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR MEN'S PRO SPORTS TO INTIFY AS GAY

I know this om my box, where some rears routely tell me they'd be ls bothered by homosexuals if we would jt please shut up about . Otherwise, beg gay means nothg to anyone else - none of anyone's bs, So 's a private matter and should be kept I mean, should be as private as is wh straight people.

And is te that a lot of gay people need to chill out a ltle b and not make such an issue about thgs, and maybe the rt of the world will go along wh a ltle All right. Multiple female ach the NFL — cludg 49ers assistant Katie Sowers, who beme the league’s first openly gay ach 2017 — have e out recent years. News servicNov 19, 2014, 09:52 AM ETNEW YORK -- Jason Colls, who beme the first openly gay athlete North Ameri's four regnized major team sports when he played for the NBA's Brooklyn Nets last season, announced Wednday his retirement om the 35-year-old Colls ma the announcement a first-person story for Sports Illtrated.

CT NATIVE BREAKS BARRIER AS FIRST OPENLY-GAY NFL ACH

"It feels wonrful to have been part of the ton for sports and for gay rights, and to have been embraced by the public, the ach, the players, the league and history, " Colls wrote Sports Illtrated. In April, Universy of Massachetts guard Derrick Gordon beme the first openly gay player Divisn I men's Jean Kg lled Colls "an fluencer on and off the basketball urt" a statement to The Associated Prs.

Jaguars strength ach Kev Maxen out as gay

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