Spectators applaud Jason Collins, center, a 13-year veteran of the game and the NBA’s first openly gay player, as he sits courtside after announcing his retirement from the NBA, during the first half of a basketball game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in the NBA, says he’ll attend the Final Four in Indianapolis despite Indiana’s new religious objection law.
He’ll provide video commentary on the tournament for Yahoo Sports. Collins was a freshman at Stanford when the team lost to Kentucky by one point in overtime at the 1998 Final Four in San Antonio.
Collins says he’s hopeful the Indiana legislature will present a bill to Gov. Mike Pence clarifying that the law doesn’t allow discrimination against the gay community.
“I would love just to go to the Final Four and talk about basketball, but unfortunately there is some other stuff that is happening,” Collins told the AP. “These are issues that affect me and others like me.
“If it’s not resolved, then I hope every single person at the Final Four needs to comment on what’s the delay. Each day that passes by further hurts the reputation of the good people of Indiana.”
Collins says he’s impressed by the pushback against the law from citizens, the NCAA and businesses.
“I’m all for people who want to practice their religion and have their strong feelings,” Collins said. “However, there were some loopholes created with this law that would have made it possible for someone to legally discriminate.”
Collins says he picked Kentucky to win the NCAA title “going with his head. If I had to go with my heart, I’d go with Michigan State,” because several of his NBA friends played for the Spartans.