Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 17,732 at Barclays Center on Monday night before entering the game in the final minutes. The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Chicago Bulls 96-80, snapping the Bulls' four-game winning streak.
Collins, who signed a 10-day contract on February 23, entered the game with 2:41 remaining to chants of 'Jason Collins! Jason Collins!' from the crowd. He committed a foul five seconds after entering and missed his only shot, but grabbed a rebound and had one steal in limited action.
'It was cool. It was a lot of fun to go into the game,' Collins said. 'The most important thing was that we got the win.' The Nets improved to 29-29, reaching .500 for the first time since November 5.
Collins' performance earned him a second 10-day contract from the Nets, who signed him to bolster their league-worst rebounding and provide defense off the bench. Under NBA rules, after two 10-day contracts, the team must either sign him for the rest of the season or release him.
Deron Williams led the Nets with 20 points, while Joe Johnson added 19. The Bulls committed 28 turnovers, leading to 30 Nets points. D.J. Augustin scored 16 points off the bench for Chicago.
Collins, who previously played for the Nets from 2001 to 2008, made his home debut more than a week after returning to the NBA. He is the first openly gay player in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues.
