Jason Collins facts for kids
![]() Collins with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014
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Personal information | |
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Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
December 2, 1978
High school | Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles, California) |
Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
Career information | |
College | Stanford (1997–2001) |
NBA Draft | 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall |
Selected by the Houston Rockets | |
Pro career | 2001–2014 |
Career history | |
2001–2008 | New Jersey Nets |
2008 | Memphis Grizzlies |
2008–2009 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
2009–2012 | Atlanta Hawks |
2012–2013 | Boston Celtics |
2013 | Washington Wizards |
2014 | Brooklyn Nets |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 2,621 (3.6 ppg) |
Rebounds | 2,706 (3.7 rpg) |
Assists | 626 (0.9 apg) |
Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played as a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Collins played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal. He was an All-American in 2000–01.
The Houston Rockets selected Collins as the 18th pick in the 2001 NBA draft. He played for several teams, including the New Jersey Nets and Brooklyn Nets. After the 2012–13 NBA season, Collins made a brave personal announcement. He became the first athlete in a major North American professional sports league to share this part of his life publicly. In April 2014, Time Magazine featured him on its "100 Most Influential People in the World" cover.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Jason Collins was born in Los Angeles, California, in the Northridge area. He has a twin brother, Jarron, who also became an NBA player. Jason was born eight minutes before Jarron.
Both brothers went to Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. They won two state titles in California during their four years there. Their team's record was an amazing 123 wins and only 10 losses. Jason broke the California record for career rebounds with 1,500.
College Career at Stanford
Collins played basketball at Stanford University with his brother Jarron. They played for the Cardinal team in the Pacific-10 Conference. In 2001, Collins was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. The National Association of Basketball Coaches also voted him onto their third-team All-American team.
He finished his college career as Stanford's all-time leader in field goal percentage (.608). He was also third in blocked shots with 89.
Professional NBA Career
New Jersey Nets (2001–2008)
As a rookie, Collins played a big part in the New Jersey Nets reaching their first-ever NBA Finals in 2002. They played against the Los Angeles Lakers. Collins later said he wasn't actually 7 feet tall, despite being listed that way. He was measured at 6 feet 10¼ inches.
In the 2002–03 NBA season, Collins became the starting center for the Nets. He helped the team reach the NBA Finals again. That season, he averaged 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Before the 2004–05 season, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Nets.
Memphis Grizzlies (2008)
On February 4, 2008, Collins was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. This trade also involved some money.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2008–2009)
On June 26, 2008, Collins was part of a big eight-player trade. He was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This trade included players like Kevin Love and O. J. Mayo.
Atlanta Hawks (2009–2012)
Collins signed with the Atlanta Hawks on September 2, 2009. He re-signed with the Hawks in 2010. In 2010–11, the Hawks beat the Orlando Magic in the playoffs. Collins was important in slowing down the Magic's star center, Dwight Howard. Orlando's coach, Stan Van Gundy, praised Collins' defense on Howard.
Boston Celtics (2012–2013)
On July 31, 2012, Collins signed a contract to play for the Boston Celtics.
Washington Wizards (2013)
On February 21, 2013, Collins and Leandro Barbosa were traded. They went to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Crawford.
After the 2012-13 season ended, Collins made a significant personal announcement. He became the first male athlete from one of the four major North American professional team sports to share this part of his life publicly. Collins became a free agent in July 2013. He wanted to keep playing but did not get invited to training camp by any team. He kept working out at home, waiting for a chance to play again.
Return to the Nets (2014)
On February 23, 2014, Collins signed a 10-day contract to rejoin the Nets. The team had moved to Brooklyn by then. Nets coach Jason Kidd, who was Collins' teammate before, supported signing him. Collins played 11 minutes that night against the Lakers. He became the first athlete to play in a major North American professional sports league after making his personal announcement.
Collins wore jersey number 46 in his first game. He later planned to wear No. 98, which he wore with Boston and Washington. He chose No. 98 to honor Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 murder was a widely reported hate crime. Collins' jersey became the top seller in the NBA's online shop. The NBA announced that money from jersey sales and auctions would go to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network).

On March 5, 2014, Collins signed a second 10-day contract with the Nets. On March 15, 2014, he signed with the Nets for the rest of the season. On November 19, 2014, Collins announced he was retiring from professional basketball. He had played 13 seasons in the NBA.
Player Skills and Impact
Collins' career averages in the NBA were 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He never averaged more than seven points or seven rebounds in a season. However, basketball experts valued his defense in ways that don't always show up in stats. Collins was a strong player who defended well in the post area. He was also good at boxing out and setting screens.
He was very good at following coaches' defensive plans. He could read what opponents were doing and communicate well on defense. Collins was also known as a team leader. He was often praised for his professional attitude and intelligence on the court.
NBA Career Statistics
Legend | |||||
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GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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2001–02 | New Jersey | 77 | 9 | 18.3 | .421 | .500 | .701 | 3.9 | 1.1 | .4 | .6 | 4.5 |
2002–03 | New Jersey | 81 | 66 | 23.5 | .414 | .000 | .763 | 4.5 | 1.1 | .6 | .5 | 5.7 |
2003–04 | New Jersey | 78 | 78 | 28.5 | .424 | .000 | .739 | 5.1 | 2.0 | .9 | .7 | 5.9 |
2004–05 | New Jersey | 80 | 80 | 31.8 | .412 | .333 | .656 | 6.1 | 1.3 | .9 | .9 | 6.4 |
2005–06 | New Jersey | 71 | 70 | 26.7 | .397 | .250 | .512 | 4.8 | 1.0 | .6 | .6 | 3.6 |
2006–07 | New Jersey | 80 | 78 | 23.1 | .364 | .000 | .465 | 4.0 | .6 | .5 | .5 | 2.1 |
2007–08 | New Jersey | 43 | 23 | 15.9 | .426 | — | .389 | 2.1 | .4 | .3 | .2 | 1.4 |
2007–08 | Memphis | 31 | 3 | 15.7 | .508 | .000 | .526 | 2.9 | .2 | .4 | .5 | 2.6 |
2008–09 | Minnesota | 31 | 22 | 13.6 | .314 | — | .464 | 2.3 | .4 | .3 | .4 | 1.8 |
2009–10 | Atlanta | 24 | 0 | 4.8 | .348 | .000 | .000 | .6 | .2 | .1 | .1 | .7 |
2010–11 | Atlanta | 49 | 28 | 12.1 | .479 | 1.000 | .659 | 2.1 | .4 | .2 | .2 | 2.0 |
2011–12 | Atlanta | 30 | 10 | 10.3 | .400 | — | .467 | 1.6 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 1.3 |
2012–13 | Boston | 32 | 7 | 10.3 | .348 | — | .700 | 1.6 | .2 | .3 | .2 | 1.2 |
2012–13 | Washington | 6 | 2 | 9.0 | .167 | — | 1.000 | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | .7 | .7 |
2013–14 | Brooklyn | 22 | 1 | 7.8 | .458 | .000 | .750 | 0.9 | .2 | .4 | .0 | 1.1 |
Career | 735 | 477 | 20.4 | .411 | .206 | .647 | 3.7 | .9 | .5 | .5 | 3.6 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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2002 | New Jersey | 17 | 0 | 13.4 | .364 | — | .658 | 2.4 | .4 | .3 | .4 | 2.9 |
2003 | New Jersey | 20 | 20 | 26.5 | .363 | .000 | .836 | 6.3 | .9 | .7 | .6 | 5.9 |
2004 | New Jersey | 11 | 11 | 24.2 | .368 | — | .750 | 4.0 | 1.5 | .3 | .9 | 3.6 |
2005 | New Jersey | 4 | 4 | 32.0 | .235 | — | .375 | 6.5 | .3 | .5 | .0 | 2.8 |
2006 | New Jersey | 11 | 11 | 27.5 | .360 | — | .591 | 5.0 | .3 | .5 | .2 | 2.8 |
2007 | New Jersey | 12 | 12 | 27.4 | .571 | — | .364 | 3.3 | .2 | .6 | .3 | 2.3 |
2010 | Atlanta | 3 | 0 | 3.3 | .600 | — | — | 1.7 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
2011 | Atlanta | 12 | 9 | 13.2 | .643 | — | .375 | 1.4 | .1 | .4 | .3 | 1.8 |
2012 | Atlanta | 5 | 4 | 17.0 | .545 | — | — | 2.4 | .0 | .2 | .0 | 2.4 |
Career | 95 | 71 | 21.4 | .400 | .000 | .677 | 3.8 | .5 | .4 | .4 | 3.3 |
Awards and Recognition
On August 2, 2013, Jason Collins was honored as one of the first people inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. This recognized his bravery and impact in sports.
See also
- Michael Sam
- Gareth Thomas
- Homosexuality in sports
- Homosexuality in sports in the United States
- List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sportspeople