Report: Nets to sign Jason Collins for rest of season
Nets center Jason Collins provides the team rebounds and toughness inside the paint. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
The Brooklyn Nets will sign veteran center Jason Collins for the remainder of the season on Saturday, reports ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk and Marc Stein.
The team signed Collins on Feb. 23 to help bolster their frontcourt. The team subsequently signed him to two 10-day contracts, with his latest deal set to expire on Friday.
Collins is averaging 9.8 minutes and less than a point per game off the bench in eight appearances this season. He is the first openly gay athlete in North America's four major team sports.
The Nets (32-30) are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a 1/2 game behind the Washington Wizards and 2.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls.
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The Nets and Collins have handled added media attention exceptionally well. Before playing in his first home game in Brooklyn on March 3 against Chicago, Collins was asked about comparisons between him and Jackie Robinson breaking barriers in Brooklyn. "I'm just trying to be Jason Collins," Collins said. "What Jackie Robinson did for the sport of baseball and our society [is] tremendous. But I am just trying to be Jason Collins."
