History is being made tonight! Jason Collins signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets basketball team on Feb. 23. The openly-gay athlete will take the court against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center Sunday night, a source confirms to Us Weekly.
Collins, 35, will be the first openly-gay NBA player and ESPN reports that he is also the first openly-gay athlete in North America's four major professional sports.
The Brooklyn Nets' official Twitter handle shared a photo of Collins signing his contracts, writing, "RT to welcome @jasoncollins34 to Brooklyn! #Nets."
The center came out in an essay in the April 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated.
"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport," he wrote at the time. "But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation."
