Jason Collins

Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played as a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Collins began his basketball career playing for the Stanford Cardinal, where he earned All-American honors in 2000–01. In the 2001 NBA draft, he was selected as the 18th overall pick by the Houston Rockets. Throughout his career, Collins played for various teams including the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets. In 2013, Collins made history by publicly coming out as gay, becoming the first openly gay athlete to play in one of the four major North American pro sports leagues. He was featured on the cover of Time Magazine's '100 Most Influential People in the World' in 2014.