NBA player becomes first openly gay active player in a major US sport

It has sadly taken until 2013 but an active US sportsman, Jason Collins, has told Sports Illustrated that he is gay.

He might not have been very well known outside NBA circles yesterday, but former Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards centre Jason Collins is about to become very famous today.

Collins has given an interview to Sports Illustrated, published today, which begins: “I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.”

A few years back we might have expected this news to rock the world of US sports but we really don’t think it will. Talk of a gay athlete speaking about their sexuality has been increasing in recent months and we think that most fans, and players, will have zero problem with an active gay player.

In the long interview, Collins talks about how he came to his decision, citing how his family and friends were accepting of him, and that played a part in his decision.

But it was the Boston bombings that made him step forward because, as he says: "I shouldn't wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

Collins decision comes just over three months after Robbie Rogers, a US soccer international, declared he was gay and promptly retired from the game.

Collins is a free agent now, after being released by Washington. He states he wishes to play on in the NBA. We hope he gets a chance. Read the full interview piece here.