Kobe Tweets Support for Gay NBA Player

Jason Collins, a 12-year NBA veteran, sent shockwaves through the sports world on Monday morning when he announced that he was gay in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

Collins, who is the first athlete in a major American sport to come out of the closet during his playing career, got an early supporter in NBA star, and Lower Merion High School grad, Kobe Bryant.

At 11:01 a.m., little more than an hour after the revelation, Bryant tweeted this to his two-million plus followers:

Proud of @jasoncollins34. Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others #courage #support #mambaarmystandup #BYOU

The message has since been retweeted more than 25,000 times. 

Bryant was fined two years ago for directing an anti-gay slur at an NBA referee after a questionable call but has since become a vocal critic of homophobic language. In February, he made news when he publicly admonished a Twitter follower for using a similar slur.

In addition to Bryant, NBA Commissioner David Stern and former President Bill Clinton have spoken out in support of Collins.

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