Nets forward Jason Collins said that in his first weeks back playing officially in the NBA since coming out, another player called him a gay slur on the court.
"One player, one knucklehead from another team," Collins told the New York Daily News. "He's a knucklehead. So I just let it go. Again, that goes back to controlling what you can control. That's how I conduct myself just being professional."
Collins said he did not want to identify the player, because it would give him attention.
The Brooklyn Nets will head south for the team's first games in the Bible Belt (Dallas, New Orleans, and Charlotte) since he signed on in February. But Collins says his mother's family is from Louisiana, and he's looking forward to the trip.
Since the Nets have extended his contract to finish out the season on the team, the media attention around Collins has died down. He said that this was a positive thing, since it disproves the argument that having a gay player in the league would be a distraction.
"I hope this shows all players that you can still have your life off the court, and not have to hide anything," he said. "And still have your life on the court on the field or on the ice, I guess, in hockey. That's a credit to my teammates and the entire Nets organization from ownership to coaching to teammates to everyone."
