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Jason Collins made NBA and sports history in coming out

Nypost · · 575 words · By Andrew Battifarano
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/sports/jason-collins-made-nba-and-sports-history-i…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

17 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 7
check_circle Corroborated 5
verified Verified By Reference 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“Collins, who died Tuesday at 47 after battling Stage 4 glioblastoma”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results from news sources (FOX 5 Atlanta, USA TODAY, and others) confirm Jason Collins died at age 47 from Stage 4 glioblastoma.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in NBA history, died Tuesday at age 47 after an eight-month battle with brain cancer. Collins was diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, a highly aggressive br…
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/former-hawks-center-jason-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — Former NBA star Jason Collins, who's currently battle Stage 4 brain cancer. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY. Former NBA center Jason Collins has tragically passed away at the age of 47 from brain cancer. The…
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-jason-coll…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jason Collins, NBA's first openly gay player, dies aged 47. 1 hour ago.Jason Collins passes away after 'valiant fight with glioblastoma'. 23 minutes ago.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
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“made history 13 years ago when he penned a piece in Sports Illustrated in which he came out as gay”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including The Guardian and an AP-credited report, confirm he came out in a Sports Illustrated article in 2013. 2013 to 2026 (implied by the current date of the news reports) is approximately 13 years.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jason Paul Collins is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Collins
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web search NEUTRAL — Collins came out in Sports Illustrated article in 2013.Since his retirement from playing, the 46-year-old has worked for the NBA as an ambassador. He married his long-term partner, Brunson Green, earl…
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/sep/11/jason-collins-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The basketball player Jason Collins wearing a Brooklyn Nets No. 98 jersey during a game. Jason Collins in 2014, the year after he announced he was gay in a front-page essay in Sports Illustrated magaz…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/jason-collins-dead.htm…
verified
““I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” Collins wrote in the May 6, 2013 issue of the magazine.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The exact quote and the specific issue date (May 6, 2013) are confirmed by both Wikipedia and the original Sports Illustrated source.
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web search NEUTRAL — In the cover story of the May 6, 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated, a first person story by Collins with journalist Franz Lidz, [53][54] and posted on the magazine's website on April 29, 2013, he came …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Collins
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web search NEUTRAL — This story appears in the May 6, 2013, issue of Sports Illustrated. I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay. I didn't set out to be the first
https://www.si.com/more-sports/2013/04/29/jason-collins-gay-…
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web search NEUTRAL — "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay," Collins wrote in the May 6, 2013 issue of the magazine. With that, he became the first openly gay player in the league.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/sports/jason-collins-made-nba-…
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“he became the first openly gay player in the league”
CORROBORATED
Confirmed by multiple independent sources including NY Post and various news reports as the first openly gay player in the league.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jason Paul Collins is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Collins
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web search NEUTRAL — Former pro-basketball player Jason Collins, the first active male athlete on a major American professional team sport to come out as gay, has died aged 47.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyp8rdldk1o
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web search NEUTRAL — Jason Collins, a longtime NBA center who became the first man to come out as openly gay while playing in any of America’s four leading professional sports leagues, died Tuesday following months of tre…
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nba/jason-collins-first-openl…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“Collins came out not long after soccer player Robbie Rogers and WNBA star Britney Griner — who had just been selected No. 1 overall in the draft — came out.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that Robbie Rogers, Brittney Griner, and Jason Collins all came out in 2013, with Griner and Rogers preceding or coinciding with Collins' announcement.
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web search NEUTRAL — Soccer player Robbie Rogers, WNBA number one draft pick Brittney Griner and current NBA center Jason Collins all came out publicly about their sexuality in 2013. The following year, Michael Sam came o…
https://www.factmonster.com/sports/coming-out-while-still-ga…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jason Collins. After Jason Collins came out in April 2013, he was hailed as the first openly gay male athlete in a major sport (the NBA).
https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1024799/olym…
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web search NEUTRAL — Brittney Griner came out after leaving Baylor where she had been told to downplay her sexual orientation. (Matt York/AP).Jason Collins, probably soon to be reemployed in the NBA, did that in early May…
https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2013/05/29/gay-athletes
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“Britney Griner — who had just been selected No. 1 overall in the draft”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and ESPN confirm Brittney Griner was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft.
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web search NEUTRAL — Professionally, Griner was selected as the first overall pick in 2013 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury, with whom she won the 2014 WNBA championship.[12] Standing 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) tall, Griner wear…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittney_Griner
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web search NEUTRAL — Brittney Griner poses with WNBA president Laurel Richie after being selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the No. 1 overall draft pick. Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images.
https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/9175826/wnba-draft-brit…
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web search NEUTRAL — As expected, Brittney Griner was selected with the first overall pick in Monday’s 2013 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury — the first Baylor player ever selected first overall in any major league draft…
https://www2.baylor.edu/baylorproud/2013/04/griner-selected-…
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“Six years earlier, former NBA player John Amaechi had come out four years after his career ended.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and other sources confirm John Amaechi came out in February 2007, which was four years after his NBA career ended and approximately six years before Collins (2013).
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web search NEUTRAL — In February 2007, Amaechi became the first former NBA player to publicly come out as gay after doing so in his memoir Man in the Middle. [1] Since then, he has been regarded as "one of the world's mos…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Amaechi
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web search NEUTRAL — His revelations come at a time when conversations around LGBTQ+ representation in sport remain pressing. While Jason Collins became the first active NBA player to come out in 2013, the number of openl…
https://www.scenemag.co.uk/john-amaechi-the-nbas-first-out-g…
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web search NEUTRAL — Amaechi's decision to come out as gay in 2007, four years after retiring from the NBA, was a seminal moment in the world of sports. He became the first former NBA player to openly declare his homosexu…
https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/sportin…
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“Collins, at that point in his career, had just finished a season with the Wizards”
CORROBORATED
An interview source confirms Collins played for the Washington Wizards during the 2012-2013 season, immediately prior to coming out in 2013.
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web search NEUTRAL — Former pro-basketball player Jason Collins, the first active male athlete on a major American professional team sport to come out as gay, has died aged 47.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyp8rdldk1o
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web search NEUTRAL — Jason Paul Collins is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Collins
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web search NEUTRAL — Collins, a 34-year-old NBA center who entered the league in 2001 and played for the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics during the 2012-2013 season, discussed with Stephanopoulos what it took for hi…
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jason-collins-interview-good-…
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“Collins, who played one more NBA season for the Nets after his historic news”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm if he played one more season specifically for the Nets after coming out.
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“his journey... has taken me through two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and nine playoffs in 12 NBA seasons.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the specific count of high school championships, NCAA appearances, or the exact number of playoff appearances.
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“Then-commissioner David Stern commended Collins for his candor and leadership shortly after he penned the essay in SI.”
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“Jason and [his twin brother] Jarron joined the NBA in 2001”
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“Collins... said he received a phone call of support from Tim Hardaway, who had previously said he did not like gay people and would not have wanted to be on Amaechi’s team.”
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“He also received praise from others, including then-Lakers star Kobe Bryant.”
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“In 2021, when Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out”
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“commissioner Adam Silver commended Collins for his efforts both on and off the court.”
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“Collins played 13 years in the NBA, eight of which were with the Nets.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.