NEED TO KNOW
- Jason Collins recently married his partner, film producer Brunson Green
- The former NBA star came out as gay in 2013
- Collins has played for six pro teams and appeared in two NBA Finals
Jason Collins and Brunson Green are married!
Friends and family of the newlyweds shared photos to social media announcing the nuptials this week.
“Welcome to the family @jasoncollins_98. You’ve chosen well, and so has he! Love you, B!” Octavia Spencer captioned a Thursday, May 29 Instagram photo of Collins, 46, and his husband walking hand down the aisle for an intimate, outdoor ceremony.
Collins played in the NBA from 2001 to 2014, appearing in the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals with the New Jersey Nets. Green, 57, is a film producer and earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination for The Help, starring Spencer and Viola Davis, in 2012.
Collins made history when he became the first openly gay NBA player, sharing his story in a 2013 open letter with Sports Illustrated.
“So this happened…,” the Self Made actress, 55, wrote over the photo of Collins and Green smiling.
Davis commented, “Aaaaahh!!!! Congratulations ❤️❤️❤️.”
The former basketball pro reshared a group picture posted by Ngoc Nguyen on Friday, May 30.
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“Our tight knit group of friends who are family just got a little bigger… we love you so @jasoncollins_98. Thanks for bringing him into our lives @brunsong. You two are the best of the best,” she captioned her Instagram carousel, full of sweet moments from the recent wedding.
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” Collins wrote in a May 2013 SI article. “I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation.”
Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty
He said he first had thoughts of coming out as gay during the 2011 NBA player lockout.
Being a self-proclaimed “creature of routine,” the “lockout wreaked havoc on my habits and forced me to confront who I really am and what I really want,” he said.
Collins said his aunt Teri was the first relative he opened up to. Her reaction: “I’ve known you were gay for years.”
“The relief I felt was a sweet release,” he wrote.
Jason Collins/Instagram
He admitted that he’d previously dated women and even been engaged to one, thinking it was the right thing to do. Things changed when his former roommate marched in Boston’s 2012 Gay Pride Parade.
“I’m seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy. I was proud of him for participating but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn’t even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator. If I’d been questioned, I would have concocted half truths. What a shame to have to lie at a celebration of pride. I want to do the right thing and not hide anymore. I want to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding. I want to take a stand and say, ‘Me, too,’” Collins wrote.
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Since coming out, the former sports star, who has played for six pro teams and appeared in two NBA Finals, has often shared pics of his life with Green.
The pair’s most recent pictures together on Collins’ page are from Christmas time in New Orleans.
“Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all ♥️🎁,” he captioned the post.
