Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins is featured on a cover of TIME’s 2014 Most Influential People issue.
Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton wrote an article for the piece that describes her experiences with Collins dating back to when she attended school alongside him at Stanford University.
“I met Jason Collins when we were freshmen at Stanford,” Clinton wrote. “Jason has always been focused on others, on what’s right for those he loves, and on helping those whose jersey is the same as his.”
Clinton tweeted that she was “honored” to write about the first openly gay NBA player, calling him “a true pioneer.”
“Jason has always maintained he’s first a basketball player. He is. But he’s also a leader and an inspiration,” Clinton wrote. “For Michael Sam, Derrick Gordon and others whose names we may never know. And also for those of us lucky enough to be fans — or to call him our friend.”
Check out Collins on the cover of TIME in the photo below.
[tweet https://twitter.com/TIME/status/459289906335211520 align=”center”]
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@NBCSports
