Gay former NBA player Jason Collins was honored by the hosts of ESPN’s NBA Playoffs pregame show on Wednesday, with each of the four men sharing thoughtful commentary on the life of the first active gay NBA player to come out.
Collins passed away on Tuesday.
Of course, Charles Barkley laid it all out in plain English for everyone to hear.
Barkley, who has long been an independent voice in the NBA and the media, shared his personal impression of Collins coming out as gay over a decade ago.
“When he came out I thought it was amazing,” Barkley said on the ESPN broadcast. “To put himself under the microscope and the scrutiny. He was a shining example, ‘Do you man.’ Anybody out there struggling with their sexuality, do you.”
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"It was a terrible day for the NBA."
The Inside the NBA crew pays their respects after the recent deaths of Jason Collins and Brandon Clarke. pic.twitter.com/Kcp9A20q0B
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 13, 2026
Barkley then shared his thoughts as a Black man, and the reception of gay people in his own community.
“Especially in the Black community when you’re gay you get treated awful and that sucks too,” Barkley observed. “But I was proud of him for coming out.
“And when I got that news yesterday, it just sucked.”
Shaquille O’Neal, who won three NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, added his condolences.
“We only live one lifetime and you must always speak your truth and he spoke his truth,” O’Neal said. “Overall he was a great human being, his brother is a great human being, comes from a great family and again my condolences go out to the family.”
Jason and his twin brother, Jarron Collins, were the “Twin Towers” of Stanford basketball in the late 1990s.
Kenny Smith gave some perspective, talking about the revelation years ago that an active NBA player was gay.
“Thirteen years ago it was a big deal,” Smith said. “And the reason why it doesn’t feel as big now at times is because of people like him.”
Barkley was quick to point out that, while society has become more accepting… no active gay NBA player has followed Jason Collins lead.
“We live in a homophobic society,” Barkley said, “and that’s unfortunate.
“Anybody who thinks we don’t have a bunch of gay players in all sports, that’s just stupid. If you think there aren’t more gay players in the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA, you’re just stupid.”
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