Sudden Demand for Jason Collins No. 98 Jersey

Jason Collins fell asleep Saturday night without a team. On Sunday, he became the Nets’ most publicized player, the first openly gay athlete to play in an N.B.A. game, although one on a 10-day contract.

On Monday, inquiries by those eager to buy a Nets jersey with Collins’s name started to multiply. On Tuesday, Collins jerseys will go on sale at the N.B.A.’s retail shop in Manhattan and at NBAstore.com.
 

NBA to sell Jason Collins jerseys including women's & kids. Not common for player on 10-day deal.

Collins’s jersey number of choice is 98, in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student from Wyoming who was murdered in 1998. But on Sunday, when the Nets acted quickly to get Collins in uniform for a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, they had to resort to a generic jersey the team travels with in case of emergencies. (NYT)