LOS ANGELES - Jason Collins, a 35-year-old N.B.A. center who announced last year that he was gay, signed a 10-day contract Sunday to join the roster of the Nets.
The signing is a significant step in transforming American professional sports into a welcoming environment for gay athletes. No N.B.A. game has taken place with an openly gay player on the floor. The N.F.L., Major League Baseball and the N.H.L. - which round out the continent's four traditional major sports leagues - have also never had a publicly gay participant.
The very act of Collins's suiting up and stepping onto the court, then, would represent a milestone in the effort to change a sports culture that some feel has lagged far behind society at large in acceptance of gay people. Collins was expected to be in uniform when the Nets played the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night at Staples Center.
Many have felt that such a moment is overdue. Last April, after spending the 2012-13 regular season with the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards, Collins announced in a Sports Illustrated article that he was gay. He was met with widespread support and earned a measure of celebrity, but not a new contract to play basketball. He was not invited to any team's training camp and spent the last several months working out at his home in Los Angeles, readying himself in case a team called.
Collins's arrival with the Nets began to take shape two weeks ago, when he worked out for them in Los Angeles over the All-Star break. The Nets, who need help with interior defense and rebounding, were also interested in Glen Davis, who was bought out of his contract last week by the Orlando Magic. With Davis appearing to be near an agreement to join the Los Angeles Clippers, though, the Nets shifted their focus on Sunday to Collins.
Collins has never been a standout player at the professional level - he has averaged 3.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game in his career - but he has consistently earned plaudits for his professionalism and smarts on the court.
As a Nets player, the 7-foot, 255-pound Collins will be valued for his ability to provide a disciplined application of the coaches' defensive scheme, to read opponents' movements and to communicate to teammates what he sees.
Collins will be a familiar face to many in and around the organization. He spent his first six and a half seasons with the Nets, who reached the N.B.A. finals twice during his tenure. It was during that time, too, that he became good friends with Jason Kidd, who is in his first season as the Nets' coach.
Collins, who has played for five other N.B.A. teams, played alongside Joe Johnson when the two were with the Atlanta Hawks, and spent part of last season with the Celtics, playing with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
Collins would re-enter an American sports landscape that has changed for gay athletes since he last played.
Robbie Rogers, 26, came out publicly last February while simultaneously announcing that he would retire from professional soccer. But Rogers changed course in May, joining the Los Angeles Galaxy and going on to play 11 games last season.
And this month, Michael Sam, 24, announced that he was gay shortly after completing a four-year college football career at Missouri. Football analysts expect Sam, a highly regarded defensive lineman, to be selected in May at the N.F.L. draft.
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