History-making out former NBA star Jason Collins has married his longtime partner, Brunson Green.
Photos Collins posted to his Instagram story show the beaming couple holding hands amidst a sea of greenery and pink flowers during their outdoor Austin, Texas, ceremony. A drag duo called The Extragrams! performed at the rehearsal dinner and did a rendition of Aladdin’s “A Whole New World.”
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In 2013, Collins became the first active men’s professional athlete to come out as gay.
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” he wrote in a revolutionary piece for 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. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, “I’m different.” If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”
He wrote about the relief he felt at letting go of such a large secret and said he wanted to “lead by example and show that gay players are no different from straight ones.”
One year later, Collins retired from the NBA after 13 seasons. He also confirmed that year that he was dating Green, who is known for producing the film The Help (which is why actress Octavia Spencer reportedly attended the wedding).
More than 10 years later, they have finally tied the knot after they were rumored to get engaged in 2023 at a Los Angeles Lakers Pride Night. In addition to Spencer, Collins’s former New Jersey Nets teammate Richard Jefferson was also a guest at the affair.
The couple has not shared much about their wedding publicly, but the photos Collins shared on his Instagram story showed a smiling couple celebrating their love as the sun shone and their guests lovingly looked on.
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