Jason Collins of the Washington Wizards came out in a Sports Illustrated story on Monday and opened up as the first active gay athlete in a major North American professional team sport.

"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay," Collins wrote.

"I'm glad I'm coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion has shifted. And yet we still have so much farther to go. Everyone is terrified of the unknown, but most of us don't want to return to a time when minorities were openly discriminated against."

Collins has had a 12-year NBA career and most notably appeared in back-to-back Finals with the New Jersey Nets.

Collins' twin brother, Jarron, also played 10 seasons in the NBA. Collins and his brother played collegiately at Stanford.