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Jason Collins set to sign second 10-day deal with Brooklyn Nets

Mar 04 2014
Written by Joseph McCormick

Openly gay basketball star Jason Collins may soon sign a second 10-day deal with his new team the Brooklyn Nets.

Collins, who came out as gay last April, signed a 10-day deal late last month with the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the first active, openly-gay player in one of the four major league professional sports in the US.

The Brooklyn Nets tweeted to confirm the deal, followed by a photograph of Collins signing his contract.

RT to welcome @jasoncollins34 to Brooklyn! #Nets pic.twitter.com/D05R9td9cx

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 23, 2014

After helping the Nets to victory on Monday evening, Collins looks set to sign another contract. He played in the final minutes against the Chicago Bulls on Monday evening, and helped the Nets towards a 96-80 victory.

The Associated Press spoke to an anonymous insider who confirmed that the team would offer Collins a second contract on Wednesday, a day after his first expires.

In an April 2013 interview with Sports Illustrated, Collins said: “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”

Following his decision to wear the number 98 shirt for his new team in commemoration of murdered gay teenager Matthew Shepard, the item soared to the top of online sales on the NBA’s online store last week.