Jason Collins likely won’t make a very big impact on the court for the Brooklyn Nets, but his triumphant return to the NBA is causing plenty of waves. Collins’ story is also turning out to be very good for the League’s bottom line. Per CNN:
Last week, Jason Collins wasn’t even on an NBA team. In two weeks, he might not be on one.
But for now, Collins — the first openly gay, active player in the United States’ four big sports leagues — is, by jersey sales, the NBA’s most popular player.
NBA Senior Vice President Vicky Picca said Tuesday that Collins’ No. 98 Brooklyn Nets uniform is the top-seller on NBA.com, besting the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin. The interest is coming from the fans Collins has earned since announcing last year, when he was still unemployed, that he was gay.
“Jason Collins’ return to the league represents a historic moment, and fans continue to show their support by (buying) Jason’s jersey,” said Picca.
Not bad for a player who, just last week, inked a 10-day contract with the Nets. And the Stanford graduate hardly dominated in his lone game back on the court, going scoreless while compiling two rebounds and five personal fouls in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
