Happy 36th birthday to Jason Collins!

What a great time for Jason Collins.

He celebrates his 36th birthday today newly retired from the NBA after 13 seasons – the final season as the first active openly gay player in the league.

During his season with the Brooklyn Nets, Jason was able to prove that a player could be gay and interact on the court and in the locker room without the world coming to an end.

Jason has become much more relaxed in the spotlight since coming out publicly in April 2013 and moving forward, he will no doubt continue to be a terrific role model.