Former Stanford Player Jason Collins Says He's Gay

NBA center Jason Collins became the first active player in a major American team sport to announce that he is gay in a story for Sports Illustrated Monday.

The athlete from Northridge, CA wrote: "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."

The 34-year-old Collins, a graduate of the Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City and Stanford University, is a free agent. He ended last season with the Washington Wizards after being traded by the Boston Celtics.

Jason's twin brother, Jarron Collins, played for 10 seasons in the NBA. Jason said that he told his twin last summer.

"He never suspected. So much for twin telepathy," Collins wrote. "But by dinner that night, he was full of brotherly love. For the first time in our lives, he wanted to step in and protect me."

Read the Sports Illustrated story here.

See the ESPN video here.

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