jason collins

Nets

Nets players, executives, coach speak in support of Jason Collins

Posted on: April 29th, 2013 by TBGDev No Comments

 

Jason Collins in 2007. (AP)

Ex-New Jersey Nets center Jason Collins became the first active male athlete in a major team sport to publicly declare that he is gay Monday morning, and Brooklyn Nets players and executives have released statements regarding his announcement.... MORE →

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Nets History

Jason Collins Nets Stats

Posted on: April 29th, 2013 by Rick Barry1971 No Comments

 

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Nets

Former New Jersey Nets C Jason Collins comes out as gay

Posted on: April 29th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Former Nets C Jason Collins is the first openly gay active male athlete in the USA. (AP)

"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

In a personal, wonderfully written piece for Sports Illustrated, 34-year-old free agent and former New Jersey Nets center Jason Collins came out as the first active gay basketball player in the history of the NBA. Collins, who wishes to continue to play basketball, discusses his journey of self-discovery, choosing to come out ended only after the season ended so as not to be a personal distraction.

Collins, who said he chose the number 98 as a private homage to Matthew Shepard, has received an early outpouring of support from NBA players and officials:

Nets assistant General Manager Bobby Marks also tweeted in support of Collins:

Here is a full statement from NBA commissioner David Stern:

As Adam Silver and I said to Jason, we have known the Collins family since Jason and Jarron joined the NBA in 2001 and they have been exemplary members of the NBA family. Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue.

Former President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea went to Stanford with Collins, and he similarly tweeted his support:

Collins was acquired by the Nets on a draft-day trade in 2001, playing 7 1/2 seasons with the Nets before a trade sent him to the Memphis Grizzlies in February of 2008. He was the team's starting center in their back-to-back NBA Finals appearances, and routinely lauded as one of the game's best interior defenders. Though he got metaphorically mauled by Shaquille O'Neal, he reminded Shaq in the open letter that his "flopping has nothing to do with being gay." He played 510 games with the Nets (T-3rd most in franchise history), averaging 4.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with the franchise.

Link to Collins's open letter below.

Read More: NBA player Jason Collins says he is gay - The Magazine - SI.com

Read More: Jason Collins reveals he is gay: How story came together for SI - The Magazine - SI.com>/a>

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Nets , Nets History

The last Nets NBA Finals Team: Where Are They Now?

Posted on: March 22nd, 2013 by William Rausch 4 Comments

 

After missing the playoffs since 2007, the 40-28 Brooklyn Nets clinched a playoff spot Thursday night in their inaugural season in Brooklyn thanks to a loss by the Philadelphia 76ers. In honor of this momentous occasion, we've decided to take a look back at the last Nets team to make the NBA Finals: the 2002-03 New Jersey Nets, who went 49-33, won ten consecutive playoff games at one point, and lost in six games to the San Antonio Spurs. That team stood in stark contrast to this year's playoff-bound Nets: the Jason Kidd-led roster ranked first in the NBA in defensive efficiency and 11th in pace, taking down opponents both by grinding out victories and by pushing the break. There are some names old Nets fans may recognize (Lucious Harris, Aaron Williams), as well as names current Knicks fans will recognize (Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin).

It's been a decade since that New Jersey Nets team went as far as any NBA Nets team has ever gone, so we decided to ask: where are they now?
 
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