After receiving tons of positive support following his coming out, it seems that Jason Collins is still feeling negativity from at least one person. He is the first openly gay player in the NBA, and is a center for the Brooklyn Nets.
Another player in the NBA, from an opposing team, has reportedly been taunting Jason Collins because of his sexuality, something that people may have feared, but others might not expect at this time.
Collins recently revealed that he has received negative comments from another player during a game. He has not let it get to him during the game, and will not reveal who it is, but it is not something that he should have to tolerate as a player.
He said that he chose not to retaliate during the game when it happened because he is entitled to his opinion, and he did not want to let it ruin his focus on the game. Collins is a 13-year veteran in the NBA, but had been a free agent until the Nets signed him just over a month ago.
The NBA veteran should feel at home with the Nets since coach Jason Kidd is a former teammate of his on the Nets several seasons ago, and he also played with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on the Celtics.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Jason Collins explained the situation when saying “In the flow of the game, you have emotions going. It goes back to controlling what I can control — having self control and having the discipline to recognize it for what it is and keep the focus on the game.”
He did reiterate that he has received positive support overall, and after facing over 100 players and coaches, he was bound to interact with at least one player who would choose to act in a negative way toward him.
Due to his courage as an athlete, and fans who want to support him, his jersey has been a top seller on NBAstore.com since he signed with the team. The Brooklyn Nets are currently 36-31, and in 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
He originally explained the situation to the New York Daily News, and said ““He’s a knucklehead. So I just let it go. Again, that goes back to controlling what you can control. That’s how I conduct myself just being professional.”
Jason Collins signed a second 10-day deal after his first one expired, and on March 15, he was signed for the remainder of the season. Since joining the Brooklyn Nets, he has played in 10 games, averaging only 8.4 minutes.
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