Collins makes his first appearance of season in Nets game against the Lakers
NBA Commissioner: "I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud"
He made the disclosure about his sexuality in a column that appeared in Sports Illustrated
Collins played 11 minutes and didn't score as the Nets defeated the Lakers
(CNN) —
Jason Collins became the first openly gay man to play in the NBA on Sunday night, wearing a Brooklyn Nets uniform in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Collins, who lives in Los Angeles, signed a 10-day contract with the Nets on Sunday. He entered the game with 10:28 left in the second quarter, receiving a round of applause from the L.A. crowd at the Staples Center.
Brooklyn won the game 108-102, and Collins played 11 minutes, not scoring any points but pulling down two rebounds and making one steal.
When Collins took the court, he became the first openly gay athlete in any of the major American team sports – baseball, football, basketball and hockey.
Photos: Openly gay athletes
David Denson, a first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers' rookie affiliate in Helena, Montana, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in August 2015 that he is gay. The news makes him the first active player affiliated with a Major League organization to come out publicly. Click through to see other openly gay athletes.
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Larry Goren/AP
Photos: Openly gay athletes
American soccer legend Abby Wambach's sexuality was an open secret for years before she married fellow soccer player Sarah Huffman in 2013.
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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
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Swimmer Ian Thorpe, seen here in 2004 with one of his five Olympic gold medals, told an Australian news outlet that he is gay in an interview that aired on Sunday, July 13.
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Donald Miralle/Getty Images
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Former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam told ESPN and The New York Times that he is gay on February 9. Sam later became the first openly gay player to be drafted by a NFL team when he was taken by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round.
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G.M. Andrews/AP
Photos: Openly gay athletes
Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a professional American sporting match when he took the field for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy during a match against the Seattle Sounders on May 26.
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Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Photos: Openly gay athletes
"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," NBA player Jason Collins said in a Sports Illustrated article.
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Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Photos: Openly gay athletes
Sheryl Swoopes, a retired WNBA star and coach of the Loyola University Chicago's women's basketball team, came out in 2005.
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Kellie Landis/Allsport/Getty Images/File
Photos: Openly gay athletes
Brittney Griner, selected No. 1 in the 2013 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury, is openly gay.
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Christian Petersen/Getty Images
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In an exclusive interview with CNN, former San Francisco 49ers player Kwame Harris came out as gay after rumors circulated in the media.
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Greg Trott/Getty Images
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Rugby player Gareth Thomas of Wales spoke about being gay to a British news channel in 2009.
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Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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Justin Fashanu became the first openly gay soccer player in Europe when he came out in 1990. Eight years later, he took his own life.
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Allsport/Allsport
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Tennis great Martina Navratilova came out in 1981.
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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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After his retirement in 2007, basketball player John Amaechi announced he was gay.
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Jamie McDonald /Allsport
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After retiring from professional football in 1972, David Kopay acknowledged to the Washington Star that he was gay.
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Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Advocate
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Villanova University's Will Sheridan came out to his teammates in 2003.
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Elsa/Getty Images
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In 2012, U.S. women's soccer player Megan Rapinoe confirmed in Out magazine that she was a lesbian.
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Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
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Champion figure skater Johnny Weir confirmed in his 2011 memoir, "Welcome to My World," that he was gay.
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YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images
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Australia's Matthew Mitcham came out in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2008.
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FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/GettyImages
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In 2012, Orlando Cruz became the first active professional fighter to publicly announce that he was gay.
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J. Meric/Getty Images
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Openly gay British dressage rider Carl Hester helped his team win gold at the 2012 Olympics.
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Alex Livesey/Getty Images
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English cricketer Steven Davies announced he was gay in 2011.
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Harry Engels/Getty Images
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Germany's Judith Arndt won the silver medal in cycling at the 2012 Olympics.
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Marty Melville/Getty Images
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Billy Bean, a former Major League Baseball player, discussed being gay in a 1999 New York Times article.
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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Tennis legend Billie Jean King was outed by a former female partner in 1981.
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Central Press/Getty Images
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In 2002, professional football player Esera Tuaolo came out on HBO's "Real Sports."
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Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
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French tennis player Amelie Mauresmo came out in 1999.
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Lucas Dawson/Getty Image
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Greg Louganis, who won four Olympic golds for the United States during his diving career, has been openly gay since 1995.
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Pascal Rondeau/Allsport/Getty Images
But in a post-game interview, Collins talked like a jock, not a history maker.
“It felt fun,” Collins said. “It felt good to get back out there on the court.”
“Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team. Today, I want to commend him on achieving his goal,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud that our league fosters an inclusive and respectful environment.”
Last year, the center, who was a free agent at the time, made the disclosure about his sexuality in an April column that appeared in Sports Illustrated magazine.
“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. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand,” he wrote.
Collins, 35, is a big, end-of-bench bruiser who can harangue opposing centers. Over 12 seasons, he has a career average of 3.6 points per game, and he hasn’t averaged more than 2 points a games since his 2006-07 season as a Net when the team called New Jersey home.
Collins received a congratulatory tweet from Michael Sam, the all-American football player from the University of Missouri who recently came out. Sam tweeted, “Congratulations to my friend @jasoncollins34 - excited to see you do work out there #Brooklyn.”
Collins said he didn’t expect to create such media stir in the coming games.
“There’s only so many questions you guys can ask,” he said.
