Jason Collins
A 13-year NBA veteran center whose legacy was forever changed by a courageous act that transcended sports.
Born 1978 (age 48)·American basketball player·Birthday: December 2·Generation X
Biography
Jason Collins built a long career as a defensive-minded, physical center, a classic enforcer who set brutal screens and took charges. A first-round pick out of Stanford, he was a starter for the New Jersey Nets teams that reached back-to-back NBA Finals in the early 2000s. He played for six more franchises, respected as a locker room presence and a specialist in defending the league's biggest stars. In 2013, Collins' story took a historic turn. With a simple sentence in a Sports Illustrated article—'I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.'—he became the first active male athlete in a major American team sport to come out publicly. This moment, late in his playing career, redefined his legacy, transforming him from a journeyman player into a pivotal figure for LGBTQ+ inclusion in professional sports.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jason was born in 1978, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jason Was Born
The biggest hits of 1978
#1 Movie
Grease
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Jason's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1978Born
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1983Started school
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1991Became a teenager
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Could drive
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1996Could vote
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Turned 21
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2008Turned 30
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 40
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 48 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Started at center for the New Jersey Nets in both the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals.
- Played 13 seasons in the NBA for eight different franchises.
- Became the first openly gay athlete to play in a game in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues in 2014 with the Brooklyn Nets.
Did You Know?
He wore number 98 with the Brooklyn Nets as a tribute to Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student murdered in 1998.
Collins and his twin brother Jarron led Stanford to an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1998.
He was a teammate of both Jason Kidd and Paul Pierce at different points in his career.
“I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.”
