A 7-FOOT NBA PLAYER WORE NUMBER 98. EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS RANDOM. IT WASN’T. When Jason Collins stepped onto the court for the Brooklyn Nets in February 2014, people noticed something strange. Number 98. Not exactly a basketball number. Nobody asked why. Most assumed it was the only jersey available. But Jason chose it. In 1998, a 21-year-old college student named Matthew Shepard was beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die in Wyoming. His crime — being gay. That murder shook America and eventually led to the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Jason carried that story on his back. Literally. Every game. Every minute on the court. Here’s the part that haunts me — when Collins first signed with the Nets, the team actually gave him number 46. The only number available, they said. But Jason specifically requested 98 afterward. He once wrote: “I didn’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.” He started that conversation wearing a dead boy’s memory across his chest. Jason Collins died on May 12, 2026. Stage 4 glioblastoma. He was 47. Most NBA fans can tell you what number Jordan wore, what number Kobe wore, what number LeBron wears. But number 98 — that one carried something heavier than any championship ring ever could.

A 7-Foot NBA Player Wore Number 98. Everyone Thought It Was Random. It Wasn’t. When Jason Collins stepped onto the…

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