Jason Collins, who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets, drew much attention to himself in 2013 when he came out as homosexual.
This brief biography will address the childhood, college years, and notable professional basketball career of Jason Collins.
Brief Biography of Jason Collins Section I: Childhood of first homosexual NBA player
Jason Collins was born on December 2, 1978. He and his brother Jarron, who also played professional basketball, are twins. Both graduated from a high school in California, the Harvard-Westlake School. Both were above-average athletes at the school, and even helped the team win the California Interscholastic Federation title twice.
Brief Biography of Jason Collins Section II: Great athlete at Stanford University
Both brothers would play on the same basketball team again; this time at Stanford University. Jason Collins received respect for his college basketball success. For instance, he was named to the All-Pac-10 first team in 2001. This biography should also note that Collins put up remarkable statistics as a college basketball player. In fact, at the end of his basketball career at Stanford University, he had a career field goal percentage of .608. He also blocked 89 shots during his college basketball career.
Brief Biography of Jason Collins Section III: Stint with New Jersey Nets and other teams
Jason Collins has never played like an All-Star during his professional basketball career, but he has always played with passion and aggressive defense. The American basketball player started his rookie season with the New Jersey Nets in 2001. He posted average statistics with the team, and even helped them with his physical presence make the NBA Finals during the 2001-02 season. Other teams that he has played for during his professional basketball career are the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and the Brooklyn Nets.
Brief Biography of Jason Collins Section IV: Wrote an article about his sexuality
Following the 2012-13 NBA season, Jason Collins made sports history by announcing to the world that he is homosexual. This announcement made history because it was the first time a professional athlete came out. Collins addressed his homosexuality in an article he wrote for Sports Illustrated.
Brief Biography of Jason Collins Section V: His historic 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets
This biography will end on a note about Jason Collin’s historic 10-day contract. The former Boston Celtics basketball player signed a 10-day contract on February 23, 2014. When he played against the Los Angeles Lakers on the same day he signed the contract, he became the first openly gay basketball player to ever play in a professional sports game.
Sources:
Adrian Wojnarowski, “Nets sign Jason Collins, NBA’s first openly gay player,” Yahoo! Sports.
“Jason Collins Biography,” Biography.com.
