Jason Collins has ruled out playing overseas or in the D-League as he continues to wait for an NBA team to sign him, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. A source told ESPN.com that Collins "remains convinced that he's an NBA player."
Jason Collins will not join D-League or go to Europe, according to report
The veteran big man is working out in hopes of signing with an NBA team
USA TODAY Sports
Collins, 34, was extended the opportunity to submit his name in Friday night’s D-League draft but declined to wait for an NBA team, according to the report.
The Detroit Pistons showed interest in the 34-year-old veteran this summer, but decided to go in a younger direction. The New York Knicks also considered inviting Collins to training camp, but extended invites to Cole Aldrich and Josh Powell instead.
But Collins, who in April became the first active publicly gay athlete in North American sports, isn’t ready to call it quits.
Last month his twin brother, Jarron, said that Jason is “in the best shape of his life.” Jarron said that Jason is as strong as he’s ever been and that if a team calls, he’ll be ready to go. (h/t Yahoo! Sports):
"He's at five percent body fat. He's as strong as he has ever been. He continues to train and work out. If the opportunity presents itself, he'll be ready to go."
One of the fears for teams around the league is the media attention that signing Collins would bring following his announcement last spring. His strength as a post defender is also in less demand with the decline of bigs who score from the low block.
But according to Stein, there are “some league executives who continue to believe that Collins will find a team in the NBA in January once 10-day contracts can be signed.”
There’s a lot less risks involved in 10-day contracts so waiting until January to sign Collins makes sense.
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