Jason Collins to Wear #98 With Nets in Tribute to Matthew Shepard

Jason Collins will wear No. 98 with the Nets in a tribute to slain gay college student Matthew Shepard.

Collins is currently under a historic 10 day contract with the Nets.

The New York Daily News reported:

Judy Shepard will be in Denver on Thursday night, about a two-hour drive from where her son, Matt, was brutally murdered in a gay hate crime 16 years ago.

The Nets also will be in Denver on Thursday for their game against the Nuggets, and Judy says she has a warm welcome for Jason Collins if they cross paths.

“I’m just happy for him. It’s wonderful that he’s playing again. I’d tell him thank you and give him a big hug. I have not met him but everyone I know that has has said he’s a gentleman, kind and generous. I’d like very much to thank him and congratulate him.”

Collins plans to wear No. 98 starting Wednesday against the Trail Blazers, a tribute to Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 because he was gay. The brutal nature of Matt’s murder — he was beaten, tortured and left to die hanging on a fence — and the conviction of two men developed into a “watershed moment for the gay community,” as Judy explained, and a “wakeup call” to the rest of America that led to changes in hate crime legislation.

Although the left frequently reports Matthew Shepard’s death was a hate crime, gay author Stephen Jimenez believes he was murdered by his bisexual lover who was strung out on meth.

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Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

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