“Mike Bibby and I were anxious for the game,” Terry says. “So, we both put our full uniforms on socks, everything. And we slept in them. The next day, we ended up winning the national championship. After that, I was like, OK, I think I'm superstitious and I need to keep this thing going.”
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center,” his essay begins. “I’m black. And I’m gay.” Those words made my stomach sink. “I’m a 20-year-old sportswriter, “ I thought to myself. “I’m gay, too. But I’m too scared to come out.” Up until that point, I thought I could separate my sexuality from my life passion. Collins' announcement shattered that myth.
“I'm a 34-year-old NBA center,” Mr. Collins wrote in April 2013. “I'm black. And I'm gay.” The statement was both unsentimental and seismic. In a sports culture that had long treated homosexuality in male locker rooms as taboo, Mr. Collins became the first openly gay man on a major professional American team sport. In breaking a barrier that had stood for generations, he transformed from a largely anonymous role player into a historic figure.
