( CNN ) -- Jason Collins became the first openly gay man to play in the NBA on Sunday night , wearing a Brooklyn Nets uniform in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers . Collins , who lives in Los Angeles , signed a 10-day contract with the Nets on Sunday . He entered the game with 10:28 left in the second quarter , receiving a round of applause from the L.A. crowd at the Staples Center . Brooklyn won the game 108-102 , and Collins played 11 minutes , not scoring any points but pulling down two rebounds and making one steal . When Collins took the court , he became the first openly gay athlete in any of the major American team sports -- baseball , football , basketball and hockey . But in a post-game interview , Collins talked like a jock , not a history maker . `` It felt fun , '' Collins said . `` It felt good to get back out there on the court . '' `` Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team . Today , I want to commend him on achieving his goal , '' said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver . `` I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud that our league fosters an inclusive and respectful environment . '' Last year , the center , who was a free agent at the time , made the disclosure about his sexuality in an April column that appeared in Sports Illustrated magazine . `` I did n't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport . But since I am , I 'm happy to start the conversation . I wish I was n't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying , ' I 'm different . ' If I had my way , someone else would have already done this . Nobody has , which is why I 'm raising my hand , '' he wrote . Collins , 35 , is a big , end-of-bench bruiser who can harangue opposing centers . Over 12 seasons , he has a career average of 3.6 points per game , and he has n't averaged more than 2 points a games since his 2006-07 season as a Net when the team called New Jersey home . Collins received a congratulatory tweet from Michael Sam , the all-American football player from the University of Missouri who recently came out . Sam tweeted , `` Congratulations to my friend @ jasoncollins34 - excited to see you do work out there # Brooklyn . '' Collins said he did n't expect to create such media stir in the coming games . `` There 's only so many questions you guys can ask , '' he said .
Collins makes his first appearance of Today in Nets game against the Collins . Lakers Commissioner : `` I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud '' He made the disclosure about his sexuality in a column that appeared in Sports Illustrated . Collins played night and did n't score as the Nets defeated the Lakers .