With the NBA season set to start next week, Jason Collins, who came out as gay earlier this year, remains unsigned and executives are pointing to the potential media circus that would follow his addition to a team. In April, Collins made headlines nationwide when he became the most prominent athlete from one of the four major American sports leagues to say he was gay.
While Collins’s skills and height could likely be an asset to a team looking for a center, the widespread attention to him by the media — not his sexuality — would be a distraction to the rest of the team. One unnamed executive told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher that if the attention were a one-time event, then NBA executives wouldn’t be as hesitant to sign the 7-foot journeyman. “But you know this is something that he and his teammates are going to be asked about everywhere they go, all season long, and all it takes is one guy to say something a little off and it could really blow up,” he said.
“He’s still good enough to play in the league, but when you throw in the ongoing media frenzy, most teams are going to decide it’s just not worth it,” the executive added.