NBA free-agent center Jason Collins says this Thanksgiving will be his first living his “authentic life.”

Collins, 34, came out gay in April in a cover story for Sports Illustrated.

On the red carpet last week at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Gala 2013, Collins discussed his first Thanksgiving as an openly gay man.

“This will be my first Thanksgiving where I'm living my truly authentic, genuine life,” Collins said. “And all of my family members know. This time [at] Thanksgiving not all of my family members … A large part of my family knew but not everyone knew. So, that's special.”

Collins added that he would celebrate Thanksgiving in the Bay area.

“My grandmother and my aunts are doing the cooking,” he said. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more videos.)