NBA's Jason Colls says U.S. 'ready' for openly gay player - ESPN

Contents:

• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, REFLECTS ON LEGACY, LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
• HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY
• JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY
• BREAKG A SPORTS BARRIER, NBA'S JASON COLLS OUT AS GAY
• NBA: BARRIER-BREAKG COLLS STILL AWAS NEXT OPENLY GAY ATHLETE
• NBA PLAYER JASON COLLS OUT AS GAY
• TOP 3 NBA PLAYERS WHO ARE GAY FEAT. JASON COLLS AND MORE
• JASON COLLS BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER
• THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY
• JASON COLLS WEIGHS ON CARL NASSIB’S CISN TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY
• FORMER HAWKS CENTER REVEALS HE IS GAY

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

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. “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.

Colls’ retirement means there will be no openly gay player currently playg any of the four major U. Addrsg the lack of openly gay players, Colls wrote that we are not “there” yet when to acceptg openly gay players major league sports.

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.

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

Here are the gay men who have blazed a trail on basketball urts around the world. 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.

"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playg a major Amerin team sport.

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY

In 2021, Las Vegas Rairs fensive leman Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to announce he is gay.

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. Me personally gay men the locked room would make me unfortable.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

As Amerins grow more acceptg of gay rights and same-sex marriage. 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'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.

"He said the first relative he told he was gay was his nt Teri, who is a superr urt judge San Francis.

He said she told him, "I've known you were gay for years, " which ma him "fortable my own sk.

BREAKG A SPORTS BARRIER, NBA'S JASON COLLS OUT AS GAY

"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.

"When I told Joe a few weeks ago that I was gay, he was grateful that I tsted him. Colls says he quietly ma a statement for gay rights even while keepg his sexual orientatn a secret. 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.

"When I was playg, I had never had nversatns around what meant to be gay.

NBA: BARRIER-BREAKG COLLS STILL AWAS NEXT OPENLY GAY ATHLETE

"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. For the most part, whenever we’ve repped the saga of Jason Colls g out as gay as an active NBA player 2013, we’ve attached words like “historic” and “urageo” to reflexively — to the pot where we’ve almost fotten to pse and reflect on what those words mean. “Gay athlet are sometim eply nflicted, ” he observed, “They keep tryg to believe the lie that they’re straight, though ep down they know that they are gay.

NEW YORK (Rters) - Veteran basketball player Jason Colls announced on Monday that he was gay, smashg through one of the fal ontiers U. Men’s profsnal sports leagu to e out publicly as was quickly enveloped a wave of support om the Whe Hoe to tennis player Marta Navratilova, a pneer for gay athlet sport. “I n certaly tell you that here at the Whe Hoe we view that as another example of the progrs that has been ma and the evolutn that has been takg place this untry, and mend him for his urage, and support him his - this effort and hope that his fans and his team support him gog forward, ” said Whe Hoe spokman Jay OVER GAY RIGHTSColls’ move me at a time of shiftg attus toward gay rights the Uned Stat, where polls show public opn is fast movg toward greater acceptance, although a re of social nservativ oppose such sports cled to jo the chos of voic support of Colls.

Sportswrer Chris Brosard, speakg on ESPN televisn, grouped homosexual acts wh adultery and premaral sex, sayg he believed this was “walkg open rebelln to God.

NBA PLAYER JASON COLLS OUT AS GAY

“Jason’s announcement today is an important moment for profsnal sports and the history of the LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr) muny, ” former U. “Jason has been a wily rpected player and teammate throughout his reer and we are proud he has assumed the learship mantle on this very important issue, ” Stern a untry where is no longer news for policians and entertaers to be openly gay, there had been qutns over the lack of an openly gay player the big four men’s profsnal leagu: the Natnal Basketball Associatn, the Natnal Football League, the Natnal Hockey League and Major League, which helped play a key role changg public opn on racial discrimatn, had e to seem out of step wh much of the rt of Amerin society. Colls, who has played wh six different teams durg his 12 years the NBA, said he never had any grand plans to be the first openly gay player, but events off the basketball urt persuad him to e was spired by last year’s gay pri para Boston, he said, but layed makg an announcement due to a sire to protect his team, wag until the end of the regular 2012-2013 season end.

PRAISE FLOODS INKobe Bryant, one of the NBA’s greatt players, was fed $100, 000 2011 for a homophobic slur. ”There are openly gay players many top profsnal leagu other untri the world as well as smaller leagu North Ameri and dividual sports.

TOP 3 NBA PLAYERS WHO ARE GAY FEAT. JASON COLLS AND MORE

Navratilova, the tennis star who also beme a champn for gay rights, said Colls would feel like a burn had been lifted om him.

JASON COLLS BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER

And tst me, you will sleep a lot better now - eedom is a sweet feelg ed!, ” she gay athlet, cludg former NBA center John Amaechi, had waed until their retirement to divulge their sexualy publicly, but there was a growg sense that tim were changg. And Brtney Grer, one of the untry’s top women’s basketball players, said she too was there were still no currently playg, openly gay athlet om the four biggt men’s qutn me to sharp foc this year around the Natnal Football League (NFL), ually viewed as the most macho of Ameri’s pro the days leadg up to this year’s Super Bowl New Orleans Febary, San Francis 49ers rnerback Chris Culliver told reporters he would not wele a gay teammate to the locker later retracted his ments but reports later emerged of NFL teams askg llege players about their sexualy at a sutg ssn prompted the New York State attorney general to send a letter to the NFL, urgg the league to take actn and adopt a formal policy on discrimatn over sexual NFL players, most notably Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbajo, began advotg for gay rights, and suggted there were a handful of players ready to e out once someone had taken the first step. (Rters) - Jason Colls ma history 2013 when he beme the first openly gay athlete one of the four major North Amerin profsnal sports leagu and the former NBA player wish more men would follow the trail he helped player Jason Colls pos at the 10th Annual GLSEN (Gay, Lbian & Straight Edutn Network) Rpect Awards Beverly Hills, California October 17, 2014.

REUTERS/Mar AnzuoniA growg number of high-profile Olympic athlet have e out recent years but Colls said that while the NBA is ready for more openly gay players the ti has simply not turned when to male profsnal team sports the Uned Stat.

”After makg the urageo cisn May 2013 to e out late his 13-season Natnal Basketball Associatn reer, Colls signed wh Brooklyn the followg Febary and played 22 gam a backup role before retirg later that punds felt Colls’ cisn would trigger other athlet om the so-lled ‘big four’ leagu -- NBA, Natnal Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and Natnal Hockey League (NHL) -- to do the same but the wa go Mart, of Major League Soccer’s Mnota Uned, me out last June and is the only openly gay male athlete currently playg a major profsnal U. Sports MLS player Robbie Rogers me out on the day he first retired Febary 2013 but joed the LA Galaxy three months later to bee the first openly gay male to pete a major North Amerin profsnal sport. ”‘A LITTLE SURPRISED’Colls participat a rookie transn program that helps prepare g NBA players and says more hands are raised each year durg his talk on cln when he asks the group how many know somebody the LGBT Colls, those hands are a fortg sign as he feels people are more acceptg to others g out when they already know someone om the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) he also wonrs why that has not translated to another NBA player announcg he is gay.

THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

”Colls, who joed The Female Quotient for s ‘Equaly Lounge’ at this month’s NBA All-Star Weekend Charlotte two weeks ago to speak on a panel about achievg belongg bs, applds how the NBA has embraced gay NBA 2016 beme the first of the ‘big four’ to have a float New York Cy’s annual gay pri para and many teams host ‘pri nights’ to celebrate cln by hostg members and supporters om the LGBT still there is a long way to go nsirg that many top players om the Women’s Natnal Basketball Associatn (WNBA) have e out as gay, pronouncements that Colls said are always met wh the same “great, now go w some gam” reactn. Image ptn, Jason Colls has been undated wh msag of supportUS basketball player Jason Colls has e out as gay, the first active male athlete a major Amerin profsnal team sport to do clared his sexualy an article for Sports Illtrated, announcg: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center.

"Print Barack Obama, NBA star Kobe Bryant and sportswear pany Nike were among those exprsg public NBA player John Amaechi me out 2007, but had already Monday, Mr Obama, who last year announced his support for gay marriage, lled Colls to tell him he was imprsed wh his urage and offer his support, the Whe Hoe said.

JASON COLLS WEIGHS ON CARL NASSIB’S CISN TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY

'Learship mantle'Former Print Bill Clton lled the move "an important moment for profsnal sports and the history of the LGBT muny" dghter, Chelsea, who knew Colls when they were both stunts at California's Stanford Universy, tweeted: "Very proud of my iend Jason Colls for havg the strength and urage to be the first openly gay player the NBA. "The reactn was not entirely welg: An analyst for sports broadster ESPN, Chris Brosard, said on Monday he did not believe that "you n live an openly homosexual liftyle" and be a Christian.

Symbolic shirt numberIn the Sports Illtrated article, Colls, who has most recently played for the Washgton Wizards and the Boston Celtics, said: "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playg a major Amerin team sport.

FORMER HAWKS CENTER REVEALS HE IS GAY

" Colls said he cid he should go public after his former roommate at Stanford Universy, Congrsman Joe Kennedy, scn of the Kennedy polil dynasty, marched a Boston gay pri basketball player at Stanford, Colls peted the natnal llegiate champnship tournament, reachg the fourth round.

Colls explaed that 2012 he changed his uniform number to 98 - a number wh signifince for the gay muny the US - as a gture of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay stunt at the Universy of Wyomg, was btally killed what has been ced as one of the most notor anti-gay hate crim the US.