Washington Wizards

NBA star Jason Collins -- who instantly became a national symbol as the first openly gay professional athlete currently playing -- says he doesn't know any other gay players in the NBA.

Collins appeared on GMA this morning ... saying he always knew he was gay but fought it hard.

Collins says he was engaged at one point but called it off, because he felt he would be getting married for the wrong reasons -- he felt he was doing it to convince himself that was the life he should lead.

Collins praised the Prez for calling him and voicing support, and also said one of his true heroes is tennis legend Martina Navratilova ... who has been openly gay for years.

​Not everyone in the NBA is thrilled about having a gay dude in the league -- in fact, there are definitely some "closed-minded" haters who are gonna have a hard time with Jason Collins ... so says NBA star Antawn Jamison.

The Los Angeles Lakers player was hangin' out in Beverly Hills today when we asked about Jason's big announcement ... and the 36-year-old veteran had a lot to say.

Antawn -- who's been in the league since 1998 -- told us he's glad Jason came out ... and he's happy the guy can "be who he really is."

But Antawn says not everyone feels the same way -- telling us, "Of course, you're going to have some closed-minded people, let's be realistic."

"That's life."

Mike Wallace needs to learn how to RESPECT gay people ... so says the Miami Dolphins organization, which says it strongly condemns the comments made by their star receiver.

A rep for the NFL team tells TMZ ... the Dolphins took immediate action once they learned about Wallace's homophobic tweet, in which he condescendingly questions why Collins would want to "mess with other guys" when there are so many beautiful girls in the world.

The Dolphins tell us ..."Mike Wallace has apologized for his comments, and we have addressed the matter with him."

"Mike’s comments do not reflect the views of the Miami Dolphins. We believe in a culture of inclusiveness and respect, and any statements to the contrary are in no way acceptable to our organization."

"We will address the entire team about our policy of inclusion and make sure they all understand the importance of respecting individual choices.”

Wallace has since deleted the tweet.

Well, that was quick ... TMZ has learned Jason Collins has officially been asked to lead Boston's pride parade this summer, hours after the NBA star announced that he's gay.

A rep for parade tells TMZ, “Boston Pride is formally inviting Jason Collins to be a Marshal in the 2013 Boston Pride Parade ... Boston Pride is proud that our annual celebration helped to inspire Jason Collins to make his groundbreaking decision to come out."

You'll recall ... Collins told Sports Illustrated that the Boston Pride Parade was one of the main reasons he came out, claiming he always wanted to participate ... but couldn't because he was scared of public scrutiny.

Collins said he planned to march this year on June 8th -- but now he could be getting the VIP treatment instead ... which may or may not involve a bunch of half-naked men dancing in briefs.

... Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace!!

Just HOURS after NBA player Jason Collins announced he's gay, 26-year-old Wallace took right to Twitter to provide the first ignorant comment.

“All these beautiful women in the world and guys wanna mess with other guys SMH (shakin' my head) …”

30 minutes later, Wallace deleted his tweet and replaced it with a half-assed explanation:

"Never said anything was right or wrong I just said I don't understand!! Deeply sorry for anyone that I offended."

Washington Wizards center Jason Collins -- who's been playing in the NBA since 2001 -- has revealed he's gay ... making him the first major active American male pro athlete to come out of the closet .

Collins revealed the news in an article for Sports Illustrated ... saying, "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

He continued, "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."

Collins -- and his twin brother Jarron -- have been high profile athletes since high school ... when they were two of the highest rated prep players in the country.

They both went on to become standouts at Stanford ... and were each drafted into the NBA in 2001.

Jason says he didn't come out to his twin until last summer. "I'm glad I can stop hiding and refocus on my 13th NBA season."

NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Tony Parker are rallying behind Collins, tweeting messages of support. Kobe wrote, "Proud of @jasoncollins34. Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others." Tony added, "Really hope people will RESPECT Jason Collins for his decision to come out. Just glad he can now relax and not be afraid to be who he is."

Meanwhile, NFL player Mike Wallace made a homophobic comment.

The NFL ... NBA ... and the UFC all collided in L.A. today ... when 4 major sports stars were involved in 4 separate paternity hearings ... at the same exact courthouse!!!

Terrell Owens ... along with MMA legend Chuck Liddell and Jacksonville Jaguars star Marcedes Lewis were all hanging out in the hallway on the 8th floor of the L.A. County Superior Courthouse ... each waiting to deal with their individual baby mama drama.

Washington Wizards star Roger Mason also has a paternity hearing today ... but so far, he's a no-show.

As for the other guys ...

-- T.O. faced off with 2 baby mamas ... in an effort to lower his monthly child support obligation.

-- Liddell was there to handle money issues with his baby mama as well.

-- Marcedes has a hearing scheduled for this afternoon ... he's currently having a conversation with his baby mama in the cafeteria.

L.A. County Superior Courthouse -- the worldwide leader in sports ... hearings.
Da na na ... na na na.

After court, we asked Marcedes if he joked around with Chuck and T.O. while inside -- but he said it was "a little more serious than that."

Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton has been arrested after trying to board an airplane in Orange County, CA.

Crittenton had checked in for a flight to Atlanta last night, where his lawyer said he was going to surrender in a murder case. He was taken to an L.A. police station and booked on suspicion of being a fugitive from justice, the FBI confirms to the Washington Post.

Javaris, who played for the Washington Wizards, was wanted for murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Julian Jones.

Cops in Atlanta have issued an official WANTED POSTER for former NBA player Javaris Crittenton -- who is suspected of murdering a 22-year-old woman in Atlanta earlier this month.

Crittenton is considered "armed and dangerous" -- and cops promise anyone who can offer any information on his whereabouts will not have to testify in court.

Cops are offering a cash reward for any information leading to his arrest -- but it's unclear how much money is up for grabs.

The FBI has joined the search for ex-NBA player Javaris Crittenton -- who is wanted for murder in the shooting death of a 22-year-old woman.

The feds have announced they are working with police in Atlanta -- where Jullian Jones was shot and killed on August 19.

Cops believe Crittenton was not aiming at Jones -- but rather someone else in the area who may have robbed the former basketball player back in April.

It's unclear if officials have an idea where Javaris may be hiding out -- and the FBI is not releasing any further information.

Former Washington Wizards player Javaris Crittenton -- the other guy in the Gilbert Arenas gun incident -- has been charged with murdering a 22-year-old woman.

Crittenton -- who has been bounced from the league -- is accused of shooting the mother of 3 on August 19 in Atlanta. Investigators don't believe she was the intended target. According to AJC.com, authorities believe Crittenton was gunning for someone who robbed him back in April.

The victim was shot in the hip and died in surgery.

You'll recall the famous incident in the Wizards locker room in 2009, when Arenas and Crirttenton pulled guns on each other. Crittenton pled guilty to gun possession and was placed on 1 year's probation.

The 20-year-old Washington Wizards star got down with fellow NBA'ers Tiny Gallon ... and DeMarcus Cousins at the Panini NBA Rookie Photo Shoot in New York yesterday.