Jason Collins to Sign With the Nets, Becomes the First Openly Gay Active Professional Athlete

Let's see how he boosts the Nets.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The Brooklyn Nets lost again last night to the Warriors. The most obvious reason why they lost was how they shot a painful 2-of-21 from beyond-the-arc. The Nets also got outrebounded by Golden State, which is not surprising since they're second-to-last in the league in rebounds. Brooklyn is looking to get better in this category by signing 35-year-old veteran center Jason Collins to a 10-day contract. This is crucial since Brooklyn has just Kevin Garnett and Andray Blatche as active big men.

Of course, that statistic isn't going to be the storyline everyone is going to be talking about when Collins puts on that black-and-white jersey. That's because when he signs that contract and steps on court, he'll be the first openly gay active player in the history of any of the four major American sports. Collins came out last April but hasn't appeared in an NBA game since.

He's expected to be in uniform when Brooklyn faces Los Angeles tonight, so let's see what (and hopefully focus on) he has to offer on court.

UPDATE: Here's what General Manger Billy King had to say:

Nets GM Billy King on Jason Collins signing: "The decision to sign Jason was a basketball decision. We needed to increase our depth inside…"

RELATED: The Sports World Reacts to Jason Collins Coming Out 

[via ESPN]

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