The Brooklyn Nets and Jason Collins made big news when they signed him to a 10-day contract. Employing the first openly gay athlete in the NBA grabbed a lot of headlines on Sunday and Collins addressed the media before he checked into his 714th NBA game to discuss the momentous occasion. While the narratives and social impact of the move by both Collins and the Nets were the covered topics, Collins seemed focused on trying to keep it about basketball as much as possible in such an environment.
He delivered this message to athletes out there:
“My message to other athletes is to be yourself. Be your true authentic self, and never be afraid to be your authentic self.”
When he finally got to game time, he checked into his first game back 10:27 left in the second quarter and received a nice reaction from the Staples Center crowd. It wasn't an overwhelming reaction by any means but considering we're talking about a journeyman, 35-year old backup center, it seemed pretty appropriate.
Overall, Collins had a very typical Jason Collins game. He didn't score in 11 minutes, missed his only shot attempt, had two rebounds, two turnovers, five fouls, and the team was a +8 with him on the floor.
