I got that handle because of my fearlessness and my commitment to my teammates. I take charges and I foul — that’s been my forte. In fact, during the 2004-05 season my 322 personals led the NBA. I enter the court knowing I have six hard fouls to give. I set picks with my 7-foot, 255-pound body to get guys like Jason Kidd, John Wall and Paul Pierce open. I sacrifice myself for other players. I look out for teammates as I would my kid brother.”
He goes on to discuss the fearlessness that contributed to his reputation.
I’m not afraid to take on any opponent. I love playing against the best. Though Shaquille O’Neal is a Hall of Famer, I never shirked from the challenge of trying to frustrate the heck out of him. (Note to Shaq: My flopping has nothing to do with being gay.) My mouthpiece is in, and my wrists are taped. Go ahead, take a swing — I’ll get up. I hate to say it, and I’m not proud of it, but I once fouled a player so hard that he had to leave the arena on a stretcher.
“I go against the gay stereotype, which is why I think a lot of players will be shocked: That guy is gay?”
No one can question Collins’ courage in stepping forward to publicly address his sexuality … but would it be out of bounds to question his play on the court?
In his own words he seemingly admitted that he has been an expendable body with six fouls.
ESPN’s Marc Stein took an anonymous poll of 14 NBA executives Monday afternoon to get a feeling of whether or not Collins, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, will find a home for the 2013-14 NBA season.
Not surprisingly, over 50 percent of those polled have their doubts—not because of his public admission that he is gay—because of his diminished productivity on the court.
…eight teams expressing a degree of skepticism about Collins’ hopes of finding future employment were unanimous in saying the decision would be overwhelmingly tied to his playing ability.
“‘The reality,’ said one Western Conference executive, ‘is that he’s been an end-of-the-roster kind of player for the last couple years.'”
His courage may be commendable, however, only time will tell if his career will continue.
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