An NBA Player officially came out as the first active player to announce that he is gay in an exclusive interview. 

Jason Collins, a former center for the Washington Wizards, has announced that he is gay in the May 6 issue of Sports Illustrated.

"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay," Collins said in the upcoming issue. "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."

Collins described being a closeted athlete as "being in the oven."

"Imagine you're in the oven, baking. Some of us know and accept our sexuality right away and some need more time to cook. I should know -- I baked for 33 years.

Collins shared in his announcement that he first considered coming out during the NBA player lockup in 2011 when he "lacked the distraction" playing basketball regularly provided. Later, a college friend, Massachusettes congressman Joe Kennedy, told him that he had just marched in Boston's 2012 Gay Pride Parade.

He committed to taking the leap to come out right after the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15.

"I shouldn't wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully? When I told Joe (Kennedy) a few weeks ago that I was gay, he was grateful that I trusted him. He asked me to join him (at the Gay Pride Paradae) in 2013. We'll be marching on June 8."

Collins is currently a free agent who has won two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and played in nine playoffs during his career with six professional teams in 12 seasons in the NBA, and played in two NBA Finals.

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