Jason Collins May Ink New Contract With Brooklyn Nets, Makes Home Court Debut

Jason Collins played his first home game with the Brooklyn Nets Monday night, entering the game with just five minutes remaining in what was already a rout, finishing with Brooklyn easily topping the Chicago Bulls, 96-80. But when Collins stepped on the court in the borough that 67 years earlier welcomed the first African-American player in a major professional U.S. sport, he was greeted with a standing ovation.

Jackie Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in April of 1947. Last week, with the Nets playing in Los Angeles against the Lakers, Collins entered the game to become the first openly gay athlete to take part in an NBA game, and even more significantly, any of the four major North American pro sports leagues.

The Brooklyn debut of Jason Collins came just one day before his current 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets is set to run out. But at the same time, reports circulated today that the Nets would sign Collins to a second 10-day deal.

The NBA limits teams to two 10-day contracts per season for any player, so if indeed Jason Collins receives a new deal, once it expires the Nets must either sign him for the remainder of the 2013-2014 season, or say goodbye to him.

The reports of a new contract have not been confirmed and Collins said before Monday’s game that he did not know whether he would be resigned or not. He said it was up to his agent to handle such details.

Nets Coach Jason Kidd, a former teammate of Jason Collins during Collins’ 2001-2008 stint with the then-New Jersey Nets, also said he had no knowledge of contract talks. But Kidd described Collins, to whom he refers by Collins’ nickname “Twin,” as “great on and off the court.”

“Twin is a good friend of mine and he’s a basketball player, but he’s a great person and so that’s why we wanted him on this team and we felt he could help us win,” Kidd said.

“It was cool. It was a lot of fun to go into the game,” Collins said afterward. “The most important thing was that we got the win.”

The crowd at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center totaled 17,732, a sellout. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern was in attendance at the game to see Jason Collins take the court.

Fans chanted Jason Collins’ name before he entered the game, but the 35-year-old Collins said that crowds on the road, as well as opposing players, have been friendly toward him as well.

“No one has said anything negative,” Jason Collins said Monday. “It’s been all supportive from everyone.”