<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The Nets are reportedly interesting in bringing back Jason Collins. (Photo by Kwaku Alston/For Sports Illustrated)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The\u00A0Brooklyn Nets\u00A0are interested in bringing back free-agent center\u00A0Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in\u00A0NBA history, reports Yahoo! Sports.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collins made public his sexuality in May in a &lt;em&gt;Sports Illustrated&lt;/em&gt; article.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Nets traded for Kevin Garnett,\u00A0Paul Pierce\u00A0and\u00A0Jason Terry\u00A0during last night's draft and Collins would bring another veteran presence to the team.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collins was the 18th overall pick in the 2001\u00A0NBA\u00A0draft and was part of two NBA Finals appearances for the Nets. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008 and played with the Washington Wizards last season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PHOTO GALLERY: Jason Collins through the years&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More from Yahoo!:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collins, 34, has close relationships with new Nets coach\u00A0Jason Kidd\u00A0and top assistant Lawrence Frank. They were together for seven successful seasons with the Nets when Frank was a coach, Kidd was the point guard and\u00A0Collins\u00A0provided a physical, defensive presence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's reason to believe that he'd have a strong comfort level returning to an organization that knows him well and values his tough, defensive-minded sensibilities.&lt;strong&gt;SI NOW VIDEO: Chris Mannix gives his analysis of the Celtics-Nets trade&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/si-wire/2013/06/28/nets-interested-in-bringing-back-jason-collins>