Jason Collins’ return to the NBA as an openly gay man has gone as pretty smooth as someone in his position can imagine. His teammates have bee supportive and respectful.
As well as the entire league as a whole.
Collins admitted that there has been one sour moment. In a conversation with the New York Daily News, Collins said that only “one knucklehead from an opposing team,” has levied an offensive taunt at him.
He was tested once during his first month with the Brooklyn Nets, although the NBA’s first openly gay player understandably doesn’t want to give attention to the “knucklehead” or his comments.
“One player, one knucklehead from another team,” Collins said in an interview with the Daily News. “He’s a knucklehead. So I just let it go. Again, that goes back to controlling what you can control. That’s how I conduct myself – just being professional.”
Collins surprisingly admitted that he’s had to prepare himself for what’s to come during his first trip with the Nets through some of the more conservative, southern, bible belt cities.
Collins is bringing that mindset into his first trip through multiple Bible Belt states this season, when the Nets leave Saturday for games in Dallas, New Orleans and Charlotte. He understands the insinuations when the trip is brought up as potentially worrisome, but Collins seems to be assuming the best while prepared for everything else.
“You can’t control what other people are going to do,” he said, noting that his mother’s family is from Louisiana and he’s looking forward to the trip.