Jason Collins was the talk of Twitter on Monday after coming out and becoming the first openly gay active athlete in a major American sport.
He dominated Twitter's list of worldwide trends. He received messages of support from fans and celebrities alike. He was lauded by many as a hero. Then, finally, after hours of dominating the online conversation, Collins chimed in with some thoughts of his own.
Here's what he had to say -- or, more specifically, tweet -- late on Monday afternoon:
All the support I have received today is truly inspirational. I knew that I was choosing the road less traveled but I'm not walking it alone— Jason Collins (@jasoncollins34) April 29, 2013
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me thru email, texts, calls, tweets, letters, and every other form of communication. #support— Jason Collins (@jasoncollins34) April 29, 2013
Collins is a 12-year NBA veteran and current free agent. He made the big announcement in a first-person Sports Illustrated piece that'll hit newsstands in the magazine's May 6 issue.
Twitter users were overwhelmingly supportive of Collins following his announcement, with positive sentiment outpacing negative at a rate of four to one Monday morning. Collins' follower count, meanwhile, skyrocketed. He began the day with fewer than 4,000 followers, but had more than 50,000 following his late-day tweets.
What was reaction to Collins' announcement like in your social feeds? Let us know in the comments.