Jason Collins, first openly gay NBA player, retires Jason Collins, #46 of the Brooklyn Nets, and Pau Gasol, #16 of the Los Angeles Lakers, battle for position under the net in the second half at Staples Center on Feb. 23, 2014 in L.A. in Collins' first game since announcing he is gay Jeff Gross, Getty Images Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in any major American sports league, announced his retirement Wednesday. In an article in Sports Illustrated, Collins said he was happy to prove all the doubters wrong when he played for the Brooklyn Nets last season after coming out as gay. "It has been 18 exhilarating months since I came out in Sports Illustrated as the first openly gay man in one of the four major professional team sports," Collins wrote. And it has been nine months since I signed with the Nets and became the first openly gay male athlete to appear in a game in one of those leagues. It feels wonderful to have been part of these milestones for sports and for gay rights, and to have been embraced by the public, the coaches, the players, the league and history. Collins' initial announcement created headlines across the country. He quickly became a kind of ambassador for gay rights, speaking at the United Nations and attending President Barack Obama's annual State of the Union address as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama. President Obama told reporters at the White House in April that he was "proud" of Collins. Given the importance of sports in our society for an individual who's excelled at the highest levels in one of the major sports to go ahead and say, 'This is who I am. I'm proud of it. I'm still a great competitor. I'm still seven-foot tall and can bang with Shaq. And, you know, deliver a hard foul,'" Mr Obama said. I think a lot of young people out there who are gay or lesbian who are struggling with these issues to see a role model like that, who's unafraid, I think it's a great thing. In his column announcing his retirement, Collins bemoaned the lack of openly gay players in any of the other major American sports leagues. Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to enter the NFL draft last year, has struggled to make an NFL roster. Even though they may not be visible, Collins insists gay players abound in professional sports. "Every pro sport has them," Collins wrote. I know some of them personally. When we get to the point where a gay pro athlete is no longer forced to live in fear that he'll be shunned by teammates or outed by tabloids, when we get to the point where he plays while his significant other waits in the family room, when we get to the point where he's not compelled to hide his true self and is able to live an authentic life, then coming out won't be such a big deal. But we're not there yet.