“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”

That was Jason Collins’ statement in his Sports Illustrated article, where he revealed his sexual orientation to the world following the 2012-2013 NBA season. He wants his perception to be as simple as those three short sentences.

He became a free agent after the season and did not play again until Feb. 23, 2014, when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets and became the first openly gay athlete to play in any of the four major American sports. Collins, as any other NBA player, loves the game and wants to continue playing basketball.

Collins began thinking about this during the 2011 NBA lockout. The first relative he came out to was his aunt Teri, a superior court judge in San Francisco. Surprisingly she already knew Jason was gay.  

“I’ve known you were gay for years,” she said in an article written in Sports Illustrated. Jason had dated women before, and he was actually engaged in the past.

Jason Collins  wears the jersey number 98 as a tribute to slain gay college student Matthew Shepard.  The 1998 torture and murder of Shepard became a watershed moment for the gay community according to the victims mother Judy, who said she would like to thank Collins for keeping her son’s legacy alive.

Jason Collins is no different from any other player. According to teammate Paul Pierce, who also played with Collins for the Boston Celtics last season, said, “He is a guy that is going to be able to open up the door for athletes around the world. It doesn’t matter your race, gender, or sexuality because it’s about being part of a team and caring for one another.”

The media makes a big deal about Jason Collins being gay.

“We as players, I think we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping our composure and doing what’s best for the team and making Jason feel comfortable,” fellow Net Joe Johnson said.

With the whole NBA season coming to an end soon, players and fans should see this as a big accomplishment for the gay community. Right now Jason Collins’ No. 98 jersey is the top seller in sports stores.

“My message to other athletes, period, is just be yourself. Be your true authentic self and never be afraid or ashamed or have any fear to be your true, authentic self,” Collins said.

He is now signed for the rest of the season, as of March 15, bringing his veteran and defensive presence to a Nets team in their playoff push.