Are there gay nba players

Jason Collins has been inundated with messages of support. US basketball player Jason Collins has come out as gay, the first active male athlete in a major American professional team sport to do so. I'm black.

The N-B-Gay: Outcomes of Coming Out

And I'm gay. On Monday, Mr Obama, who last year announced his support for gay marriage, called Collins to tell him he was impressed with his courage and offer his support, the White House said. His daughter, Chelsea, who knew Collins when they were both students at California's Stanford University, tweetedexternal : "Very proud of my friend Jason Collins for having the strength and courage to be the first openly gay player in the NBA.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement: "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and are are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important nba. Sportswear company Nike, which has endorsed Collins, also supported his decision.

The reaction was not entirely welcoming: An analyst for sports broadcaster ESPN, Chris Broussard, said on Mondayexternal he did not believe that "you can live an openly player lifestyle" and be a Christian. Collins had written in the article that he took "the teachings of Jesus seriously".

In the Sports Illustrated articleexternalCollins, who has most recently played for the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, said: "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different.

Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand. He added that this month's bombings at the Boston Marathon had reinforced his conclusion that he should talk publicly about his sexuality. Collins, who has played 11 seasons in the NBA with six teams and is not currently attached to a team, said he had tried to suppress his feelings through relationships with women.

I even got engaged," he said. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue. Collins said he decided he should go public after his former roommate at Stanford University, Congressman Joe Kennedy, scion of the Kennedy political dynasty, marched in a Boston gay pride parade. As basketball player at Stanford, Collins competed in the there collegiate gay tournament, reaching the fourth round.

He has also played in two NBA finals. His twin brother, Jarron, is a former NBA player. Collins explained that in he changed his uniform number to 98 - a number with significance for the gay community in the US - as a gesture of solidarity. InMatthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally killed in what has been cited as one of the most notorious anti-gay hate crimes in the US.

Collins is the first to do so while active in sport. Boxer is first to come out as gay. Symbolic shirt number. More on this story. View comments