Former NBA Star Jason Collins Tests Positive For COVID-19

Social distancing is helping to slow the spread of coronavirus, but cases are clearly still being confirmed. Retired NBA player Jason Collins has come forward to announce that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Collins shared the news on social media in a series of tweets explaining how he believed he contracted the virus.

Jason Kempin / Staff / Getty Images

“I believe I got it while on a trip to NYC at the beginning of the month for the Brooklyn Nets Pride night game. I had my first symptoms on [Wednesday, March] 11. Terrible headache. A few days later I had a fever and then the cough,” Collins wrote. “On Saturday I went to the ER and got tested and spoke with some docs about the tightness in my chest. I’m home now resting but still experiencing some tightness and might go back to the hospital later today. On Saturday my lungs were clear, which obviously is good.”

Collins thanked the public for the well-wishes and revealed that his partner also has been diagnosed with COVID-19. “Please stay safe and continue to social distance,” he advised the public. “Thank you to every single health care worker out there that are our true heroes on the frontline. Please let’s try to flatten the curve & not overwhelm our health care system.”

If Collins’s name sounds familiar, it’s because in May 2013, he became the first active male athlete in American sports to come out as gay on a large media platform. After playing 13 seasons in the NBA, Collins retired from the league. He gained national attention when he was shared his coming out news in a cover story fo Sports Illustrated.