Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant on Monday applauded veteran Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, who became the first active player in all major American sporting leagues to come out of the closet.
Bryant, the fourth leading scorer in NBA history, passed along his well-wishes to Collins via Twitter:
Proud of @jasoncollins34. Don’t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others #courage #support #mambaarmystandup #BYOU
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) April 29, 2013
It wasn’t the first time Bryant took a stand in defense of the LGBT community on Twitter. In February, the former MVP and five-time NBA champion reprimanded a Twitter follower who had used a homophobic slur.
