The first openly gay NBA player signs with the only team owned by a Russian. Russia is being bashed for its hardline anti-gay stance, so the signing is considered as a breakthrough of sorts.

The official report from ESPN:

"Jason Collins became the first openly gay athlete in North America's four major professional sports Sunday, signing a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

He is expected to play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday evening at Staples Center, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN."

The official statement from Billy King, Brooklyn Nets GM followed:

Billy King: "The decision to sign Jason was a basketball decision. We needed to increase our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract."

Collins will wear no. 46 in his first game against the Lakers. However, his real jersey number is 98, which he will wear in succeeding games. There is a actually a cause for that. From ESPN:

"Collins' choice of the No. 98 is in honor of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student who died in a notorious anti-gay hate crime in 1998. Collins has worn the jersey number with both the Celtics and Wizards."

Kevin Garnett, star forward for the Nets, was also Collins' teammate with the Boston Celtics:

"Great competitor, plays team basketball, is for the team, great guy, great character."

Will it make a difference now that he's come out? "I think it's important that anybody who has the capabilities and skill level [gets] a chance to [do] something he's great at. I think it would be bias, and in a sense, racist, if you [were] to keep that opportunity from a person."

The last word from Doc Rivers, his former coach with the Celtics, now with the Los Angeles Clippers: "We've been talking the last three or four days. Jason and I have texted and talked on the phone. I'm very happy for him, just really for the basketball part. The other stuff is for everything else but just the basketball part. He's a worker, he's a good guy and it's always nice having good guys in the league. And it's a perfect place with Kevin [Garnett] and Paul [Pierce]. He was with us in Boston so they know what he can do defensively."