Jason Collins has been signed to a
10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.
Quoting unnamed sources, ESPN.com
reported that Collins “will be in uniform for the Nets against the
Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.”
“The Nets moved quickly to sign
Collins to have another big body available against the Lakers,”
ESPN.com reported.
Previously the outlet reported that
Collins worked out with the team in a private audition in Los
Angeles.
“He's in shape,” Nets General
Manager Billy King said of the 35-year-old Collins.
The NBA free agent remained unsigned
since coming out gay on the cover of Sports Illustrated last
year. Collins, a former center with the Washington Wizards, is on
track to becoming the first openly gay active player in the NBA.
Brian Ellner of Athlete Ally, a group
working to end homophobia in sports, applauded the announcement.
“Today, Jason Collins tore open the
last remaining closet in America, and became the first openly gay
player to be signed by a team in one of the big four sports,”
Ellner said in a statement. “We are especially excited that Jason
will be playing in Brooklyn, just like Jackie Robinson, and in a
marriage equality state. This is a piece of history, an important
point in the continuum toward justice and a moment to celebrate.”