http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/sports/basketball/jason-collins-nbas-first-openly-gay-player-announces-his-retirement.html 2014-11-19 18:42:19 Jason Collins, N.B.A.'s First Openly Gay Player, Announces His Retirement Collins, 35, played 22 games with the Nets last season but was not on an N.B.A. roster this season. === Jason Collins, the N.B.A.'s first openly gay player, announced his retirement Wednesday. Collins, 35, played 22 games with the Nets last season and was not on the roster this season. He announced his retirement in He said in the article that he would also make the announcement on Wednesday night at Barclays Center, where the Nets will play the Milwaukee Bucks, who are coached by his former teammate and coach Jason Kidd. Collins started his career with the Nets in New Jersey in 2001 and rejoined the franchise in Brooklyn in February. He had a number of former teammates on the Brooklyn team, including Kidd. Collins thanked Kidd for his support, “considering all the speculation about problems I might face within the locker room.” Collins said he was “happy to have helped put those canards to rest.”