Jason Collins Makes NBA History
A 10-day contract with the Nets makes him the first openly gay player in the US's 4 major pro leagues.
A history-making moment in the NBA. Jason Collins broke through a big barrier last night when he suited up for the Brookline Nets against the Lakers,becoming the first openly gay player in any of the 4 major pro leagues. ABC John Moore has the story.
He played for just 10 minutes. There's no doubt Jason Collins' performance will go down in history. The 35-year-old center hitting the floor Sunday night as the first openly gay player in any of the nation's 4 major professional sports leagues, signing a 10-day contract with the Brookline Nets just hours before the game.
I don't have time to really think about history right now.
It was his first matchup since publicly coming out in April at the time he spoke with George about his groundbreaking announcement.
Can you believe it hasn't happened before you?
That's kinda mind-boggling. I never thought of to be the first.
One person cheering on Collins Sunday, the man who could become the NFL's first openly gay player, Michael Sam tweeting: Congratulations to my friend, excited to see you do work out there. Sam now meeting with the teams that could draft him telling reporters over the weekend he's focused on winning regardless of what teammates or critics might say.
I know how to handle myself. I know how to communicate with my teammates.
It's a sentiment Collins echoed.
The most important thing is that team got to win. That's all that we care about.
I think ultimately it gets back to whether or not this person can help his team.
We're Good morning America, John Bober, ABC news, New York.