- NAME: Jason Collins
- OCCUPATION: Basketball Player
- HEIGHT: 7 feet
- WEIGHT: 255 pounds
- BIRTH DATE: December 02, 1978 (Age: 34)
- EDUCATION: Stanford University, Harvard-Westlake High School
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Northridge, California
- NICKNAME: Twin
- ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
- FAVORITE ICE CREAM: Chocolate
Jason Collins is a professional basketball player in the NBA. He's not a Superstar or anything, however he has done something very couragious that no other professional athlete has done; he has come out of the closet. You might be thinking that there have been a lot of pro athletes who have admitted to be gay, and that is true, however all of the previous players were retired and out of the game when they came out with the truth about their sexuality. Jason is the first active player, and who will continue to play in the NBA after telling everyone about his homosexuality.
Twins at the Top
Twin Brother JavonCourtesy of NCAA
Jason Paul Collins was born on December 2, 1978, in Northridge, California, minutes ahead of his twin brother, Jarron. They both played basketball for Harvard-Westlake High School in North Hollywood, California, where future television and movie star Jason Segel served as their back-up, and won a pair of California State championships together.
As a senior in 1997, Jason Collins got to play on the McDonald's High School Basketball All-American Team. The twins enrolled at Stanford University, providing basketball coach Mike Montgomery with a pair of big men. Jason had some injuries and his stats suffered with only 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his senior year, but he did get an honorable mention to the All-American Team. He graduated with a degree in communications and was taken with the 18th pick in the 2001 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets.
NBA Career
Washington Wizards's CenterCourtesy of NBA
Jason never became a star in the NBA, but he's a rock-solid 7 foot monster that could defend anyone, including Lebron James. He enjoyed his best season in 2004-05, when he averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game but was also charged with a league-high 322 personal fouls, so Jason is no angel.
Jason was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in early 2008, then spent the following season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He found a home with the Atlanta Hawks for the next three seasons, providing his usual tough defense off the bench to help them reach the playoffs each time. He played the 2012-13 season for the Boston Celtics and now he plays for the Washington Wizards.
Out of the Closet
Jason Collins BioCourtesy of Sports Illustrated
On April 29, 2013, the internet lit up with the revelation that Jason was gay, making him the first openly gay active male athlete in major sports. Jason explained that he was frustrated keeping his homosexuality a secret for all these years, and then when he was forbidden to participate in the 2012 Boston Gay Pride Parade, he made a decision to come out of the closet. He explained his story to Sports Illustrated and the official story came out in the 2013 May 6 issue.
"I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different.' If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand." – Jason Collins
After the announcement, NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash tweeted their support. White House spokesman Jay Carney also congratulated Jason's statement as a courageous act, while former U.S. President Bill Clinton, whose daughter, Chelsea, attended Stanford with Jason, wrote that the basketball star's words were "the straight forward statement of a good man who wants no more than what so many of us seek: to be able to be who we are; to do our work; to build families and to contribute to our communities."
Have your say...
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