Jason Collins was waiting for the right moment to share his secret. He was ready to go public during the 2012-13 season, but he didn’t want the announcement to be a distraction to his team, first the Boston Celtics then the Washington Wizards.



So it was in April 2013, at the end of the season, that Collins appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated next to the bolded words, “The Gay Athlete.” Inside was a first-person essay explaining his internal battle with his closeted sexuality and his decision to become the first openly gay male athlete in the four major American team sports.



Then, with the weight of the disclosure behind him, Collins waited again. This time for an NBA team to come calling in free agency.



“I thought that I deserved (an opportunity) because of what I did the year before,” Collins told The Athletic over NBA All-Star Weekend. “I had great games playing with the Celtics and with the Wizards. I...