Back in February, Jason Collins signed a contract with the Brooklyn Nets and became the first active openly gay athlete in North America's four major team sports, a big step forward for him personally and for others who may do the same in the future.
The fact that the story fell out of the spotlight fairly quickly is probably a positive in the grand scheme of things. Collins remained on the Nets' roster through the end of their postseason run but didn't prove a distraction, as some may have feared.
On Thursday, Collins indicated that he's unsure whether he'll do another tour of duty in the NBA next season. He accomplished something great this season, but that may be the end of his basketball career:
With regards to basketball, I don't know right now. I am looking forward to enjoying this time with my loved ones, my family and friends and meeting a lot of great people over the summer and the next couple of months and enjoying my offseason.
It wouldn't be at all surprising to see Collins hang up his kicks. After all, based purely on skill, he was a fringe NBA player this season, and he'll be a year older next year, turning 36 halfway through the 2014-15 season.
He also played sparingly, totaling 172 minutes in 22 regular season games and riding the bench for the team's entire playoff run. He averaged 1.1 points and 0.9 rebounds, and his primary skill, physical post defense, isn't in high demand in today's NBA.
If he does call it quits, however, it won't be because of how he was treated as an openly gay man. He says he only had one experience with an offensive opposing player, and "I wouldn't even call it a negative ... he stated an opinion and that was it." As for any other incidents, Collins says there were none:
Not that I can think of. I try to focus on control what you can control. That is what I kind of live by. So I didn't really put any expectation on what to expect from fans or this and that. You just try to deal with each situation and keep that poise and posture about yourself.
