Philly-Area NBA Players Tweet Support for Gay Colleague

Many NBA players, including several with Philadelphia-area ties, reacted supportively after fellow player Jason Collins announced Monday in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he is gay.

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 31,000 times. 

Also supporting Collins was the Philadelphia 76ers' Damien Wilkins, who played with Collins on the Atlanta Hawks in 2011-2012. Wilkins tweeted:

Very proud of and happy for one of the coolest and most down to earth guys I know @jasoncollins34. #Fwhatpplthink

La Salle University graduate Rasual Butler, another NBA veteran, tweeted this at 1:10 p.m.:

Much Respect for @jasoncollins34 that took a lot of courage!

And former Villanova Wildcat and NBA veteran Kyle Lowry tweeted about his former Memphis Grizzlies teammate at 3:14 p.m.:

Respect to @jasoncollins34. great teammate and true professional when we played together.

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

Bryant, long one of the NBA's biggest stars, was fined two years ago for directing an anti-gay slur at a 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.

What do you think of Jason Collins' announcement and of the reaction it has produced? Tell us in the comments.