Jason Collins’ story has been tied to some of the biggest milestones in NBA history, despite a number of players returning with betters NBA careers. A 7-foot center out of Stanford, he was drafted 18th overall in 2001 and went on to play 13 years in the league, logging 735 career games with stints in New Jersey, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, Memphis, Minnesota, and Brooklyn. But beyond the stats, Collins made history in 2013 when he came out publicly as gay through Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active male athlete in one of the four major U.S. team sports to do so.

Since stepping away from the court in 2014, Collins has remained closely connected to the league as an NBA Ambassador, regularly appearing at community events and pushing conversations around diversity and inclusion in

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