Jason Collins

“I'm black and I'm gay.”

“As a teammate, you want the best of everyone on your team. It's about mentally being able to be all in. Why not create an environment that fosters that?”

“No matter your religion or what your political views are, I think there's one thing we can all agree on. Most human beings are not meant to be alone. I know I'm not.”

“I want to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding.”

“I've never sought the spotlight. Though I'm coming out to the world, I intend to guard my privacy.”

“I'm trying to live my life as honestly and authentically as I can.”

“What I did when I was younger was look up to the guys like Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning who played over a decade. What did they do to last that long? A lot of it is keeping your body in shape, keeping your mind sharp, staying hungry. You should always want guys around like that to set that example, in my mind.”

“I pride myself on setting tough picks and going out there and being physical. And on the defensive end, players drive the lane, I'm either going to try to take a charge on you or foul you pretty hard.”

“I've met many people who have come up to me and told me how my story has impacted them.”

“It's always a terrible feeling knowing that you're about to go home from the NCAA Tournament.”

“For me, it's always about being a professional and always being ready.”

“The more people that choose to live an honest and genuine life, the better it is for everyone.”

“Let me tell you about 'Mad Dog' Madsen. He was like the Soccer Dad of the Stanford Men's Basketball Team.”

“So, my role on an NBA basketball team was the defensive stopper, was to be the most physical player on the team. I love that role. I love contact. I love hitting.”

“I do a lot of core stuff, a lot of different core exercises. I have about 30 to 40 different things I can do. I just mix it up.”

“Obviously, I do a great job of running on the treadmill but there is no way of simulating it, the NBA is much different than running sprints on a treadmill.”

“Every time you go to a new team, every time, it's like going to a new job. You have to go to your coworkers and tell them your story. 'Hey, are you married? Do you have kids?' I got tired of telling a lie. I really got tired of that.”

“A team is like a family.”

“I can just be my normal self.”

“Deep down, on a human level, I think everyone knows that it is better to live an authentic life.”