Jason Collins has come out in style.
The New York Daily News has reported that Collins' No. 98 Brooklyn Nets jersey shot to the top of jersey sales at the NBA Store and its website on Tuesday, the first day it was made available.
Ironically, Collins didn't even wear No. 98 during his first NBA game since his revelation that he was gay last spring. The Nets' backup center had to wear No. 46 because the team's equipment personnel could not produce a No. 98 jersey for him so quickly, according to the Daily News.
Collins wore No. 98 last season as he played for both the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards. During his coming-out interview with Sports Illustrated that was published in May, Collins explained that the No. 98 was in honor of Matthew Shepherd, who was killed in 1998 in Wyoming because he was gay.
"A college classmate tried to persuade me to come out (as gay) then and there," Collins wrote. "But I couldn't yet. My one small gesture of solidarity was to wear jersey number 98 with the Celtics and then the Wizards.
"One of the most notorious antigay hate crimes occurred in 1998. Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, was kidnapped, tortured and lashed to a prairie fence. He died five days after he was finally found."
Collins will debut the No. 98 jersey tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers. The jersey is not available at the Barclays center, the Nets' home court, or any team store, according to the Daily News.
"Historically we don't make player-specific merchandise available for players on 10-day contracts," said Barclays Center spokesman Barry Baum. "Once a player is signed for the entire season, we would make his merchandise available."
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