Tag: Jason Collins

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Jason Collins to finish NBA season with Brooklyn Nets

ESPN is reporting that out NBA-er Jason Collins, currently on his second 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets, will finish out the season with the team:

Sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the Nets, who feel they’re getting everything they expected from Collins when they signed him for frontcourt depth Feb. 23, are already operating under the premise that the 34-year-old will finish the season with them even though his second 10-day deal doesn’t expire until after Friday.

Sources say that the internal expectation all along was that Collins would be a Net for the rest of the season, from the moment he signed his first 10-day deal, as long he proved that could still be an effective defender, which he did immediately.

Collins recently played 20 minutes in a 104-89 win over Sacramento last Sunday.

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Brooklyn Nets to sign Jason Collins to second 10-day contract

The Associated Press is reporting that the Brooklyn Nets plan to keep out NBA-er Jason Collins around for a while longer:

The Nets plan to sign Collins to a second 10-day contract, a person with knowledge of the situation said Monday.

Collins signed his original deal on Feb. 23, becoming the NBA’s first openly gay player, and it expires Tuesday.

The Nets then will re-sign him for another 10 days on Wednesday, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the plans haven’t been made public.

After that, the Nets would have to sign him for the rest of the season if they wanted to keep him.

Excellent news!

You can see Jason debut on home court to a standing ovation by the crowd below.

Go Jason! Go Nets!

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Proceeds from sales of Jason Collins’ jersey to go to LGBT causes

Since being signed by the Brooklyn Nets last week, Jason Colllins’ jersey has become the #1 selling jersey on NBAStore.com.

Now, the NBA has announced that all proceeds from sales of Collins’ jerseys will be donated to LGBT causes, specifically GLSEN and the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

The Guardian reports:

The league said on Friday that donations would total no less than $100,000, and it will also auction off Collins’s autographed, game-worn jerseys to benefit the same organisations.

Collins says he is thrilled to help the organisations that “work tirelessly to ensure LGBT youth get the resources and assistance they need to be successful in life”.

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Brooklyn Nets’ Jason Collins meets the family of Matthew Shepard

Recently signed Brooklyn Nets player Jason Collins met with the family of slain college student Matthew Shepard, who Collins has honored every game since last season by wearing the number 98 – the year that Shepard was killed.

Collins gave Shepard’s parents and brother signed jerseys after the Nets headed to Denver during Collins’s first week back in the NBA since coming out as gay.

And yes, the Nets beat the Denver Nuggets 112-89 Thursday night with Collins in the game.

Go Jason.

Forward.

(via Out)

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NBA makes Jason Collins’ Brooklyn Nets jersey available

Due to popular demand, the NBA has made openly gay Jason Collins’ Brooklyn Nets jersey available at their online store.

Via ESPN:

The jerseys were available at NBAStore.com and the NBA Store in Manhattan after the league received hundreds of inquiries both online and at the store, the spokesman said.

Collins signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, becoming the first active openly gay player in league history.

The Nets can give Collins a second 10-day deal once the first one expires.

He will wear No. 98 — starting Wednesday night at Portland — in honor of Matthew Shepard, a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured, beaten and murdered in 1998 in an anti-gay hate crime.

For $70, you, too, can have Jason Collins’ jersey. Check it out here.

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Out NBA athlete Jason Collins signs his contract with Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd as NBA player Jason Collins signs his contract

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has issued a press release on the signing of Jason Collins to the Brooklyn Nets:

“The return of Jason Collins to the Nets franchise is a milestone for all Brooklynites to celebrate.

“He began his career with this team, helping it win its first Eastern Conference titles in back-to-back seasons, and was beloved by teammates and fans for his professionalism and leadership.

“Last year, he became the first active male athlete in one of America’s four major professional sports to publicly identify as gay. In doing so, he became a trailblazer for the LGBT community and a role model for every community, especially our young people.

“Today, Brooklyn is truly proud to be Jason’s hometown team, as he has brought us pride both on and off the court. I wish him the best of success in helping to bring our borough its first sports championship in 59 years. Let’s go Nets!”

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Out NBA-er Jason Collins signed by Brooklyn Nets

From Yahoo Sports:

Jason Collins has reached agreement on a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets, clearing the way for the first openly gay athlete in major professional sports history, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Collins will be signed and available to play on Sunday when the Nets meet the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center, sources told Yahoo.

Collins, 35, has been out of the NBA since completing the 2012-’13 season with the Washington Wizards.

Collins played parts of seven years with the Nets between 2001-08, and his ex-teammate, Jason Kidd, now the Nets coach, has been advocate of signing him.

Hudson Taylor, Executive Director of Athlete Ally issued a statement via press release: “I have seen first hand how committed the NBA is to ensuring that every team is welcoming and inclusive. It’s invested in this effort and it’s invested in Jason. I could not be happier for the NBA family today. Congratulations!”

(h/t JMG)

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Out NBA player Jason Collins to sit with Michelle Obama during State of the Union address

The White House announced today that NBA player Jason Collins, who made history last year by becoming the first male athlete playing in an American team sport to come out as gay, will be seated in the box with First Lady Michelle Obama, Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett for tomorrow’s State of the Union Address.

From the Washington Blade reports:

After coming out as gay in a Sports Illustrated article in April, Collins has enjoyed a strong relationship with the Obamas. On the day the piece was published, Collins received a personal phone call from Obama, who later said during a news conference he was “very proud” of the athlete.

Collins also appeared alongside Michelle Obama during the Democratic National Committee’s annual LGBT gala in New York City in May.

Collins is currently a free agent after 12 years in the NBA.

(from Bilerico)

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NBA’s Jason Collins marches in Boston Pride Parade

Openly gay NBA player Jason Collins marched in Boston’s pride parade yesterday.

From Sports Illustrated:

Delivering on a promise he made in an essay for Sports Illustrated in which he revealed that he was gay, Wizards free-agent center Jason Collins marched in Boston’s annual pride parade on Saturday.

Wearing a black Nike shirt with rainbow lettering that read “#BETRUE”, Collins joined his former college roommate and current Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy at the event, which drew thousands of attendees and is in its 43rd year.

WCBV.com reported that Boston’s parade drew 230 groups this year, making it the second-largest such event, trailing only New York City.

(via JMG)