Wizards C Jason Collins revealed he is gay, making him the first openly homosexual athlete in the history of major American team sports. Collins made the groundbreaking revelation in a first-person account as part of this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. "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," he said. Collins, a 34-year-old 7-footer, has served as a defensive stopper for six different teams over 12 seasons. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer and expects to continue to play in the NBA. Here's Kobe Bryant's response, via Twitter: "Proud of @jasoncollins34," the tweet read. "Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others #courage #support #mambaarmystandup #BYOU"