Jason Collins, who played 13 seasons in the NBA as a center-forward, died Tuesday at 47 of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Despite playing for seven NBA teams and starting for the then-New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets) during their back-to-back NBA Finals runs in 2002 and 2003, the most memorable part of Collins’ legacy will be that he came out as gay late in his penultimate NBA season.
“I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport,” Collins wrote in an April 2013 essay for Sports Illustrated. “But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation.” Unfortunately, more than a decade later, the conversation Collins started has largely stalled. Aside from former NFL player Carl Nassib, there has not been another openly gay active player in the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB.
I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation.
jason collins in sports illustrated, 2013
Openly does all the heavy lifting in that sentence because the likelihood there hasn’t been another gay player among the thousands who’ve played in those leagues since Collins’ announcement — or among the many thousands who played before him — is nil. Therein lies the tragedy. Despite the courage he showed by coming out of the closet, there is still a closet in male professional sports.
That’s why NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s response to Collins’ death Tuesday is a bit awkward. He said in a statement that “Jason Collins’ impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations,” and that he will be remembered for “breaking barriers,” but the NBA doesn’t appear to be any more inclusive and welcoming, and the barriers seem just as visible as ever.
The statement is even more glaring given its inclusion of the WNBA, where players have fought for higher pay that still doesn’t rival the men’s game, but where players’ sexuality has largely been a non-issue.
The NBA barrier continues to exist despite all the professed support from NBA players, coaches and legends when Collins came out in 2013. “This is a great day for the NBA,” Charles Barkley said. “Proud of @jasoncollins34,” Kobe Bryant wrote. “Don’t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others.”
And LeBron James said: “I think it’s very noble on his part. I think it’s a strong thing to do, and I think as NBA players, we all offer him our support.”
Collins told ESPN last November: “When I chose to come out, there was no scandal or anything. This was like, I feel that I am good enough to play in the NBA and by the way, I’m gay. Just so everyone knows cards on the table, this is where I am. Thankfully the Nets were the one team that gave me a tryout.”
When Collins died Tuesday, Dallas Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd wrote on X, “This one hurts. Jason Collins was a pioneer. He had courage like you’ve never seen. He was an incredible teammate. And having him in Brooklyn at the start of my coaching journey meant so much. Those who knew him were blessed to call him a friend. You are already missed my brother. Rest in power.”
There were a small number of people affiliated with the NBA who declined to make a comment about Collins’ coming out or had less than positive things to say about same-sex relationships. One wonders if they weren’t more representative of the way men in NBA locker rooms really think.
Sports fans may think that when an athlete breaks through a social prejudice, it means that prejudice has been defeated.
The NBA, after all, is a league that until two months ago, employed Jaden Ivey, who the Chicago Bulls cut after he publicly criticized the NBA for recognizing Pride Week. Despite the homophobia of some of his social media posts — or maybe because of it — Ivey still had fans supporting his stance.
Sports fans are often guilty of revisionist history and may think that when an athlete breaks through a social prejudice, it means that prejudice has been defeated. But that’s not true. Barriers don’t necessarily fall with one declaration or essay, especially when those barriers are as entrenched as they are uncodified.
The NBA has never had an explicit prohibition on gay players, but not having a written prohibition wouldn’t have even been necessary. The idea that male professional athletes need to be straight to be accepted by teammates, fans and sponsors is so ingrained in our culture that it was always going to take more than Collins writing an essay to make a lasting change.
Keith Reed
Keith Reed is an award-winning journalist and a past senior editor at ESPN. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Root, Vibe, Essence and elsewhere.