Yesterday, NBA center Jason Collins announced he was gay, becoming the first player in a major U.S. team sport to do so. He gave his first interview since publishing his coming out story in Sports Illustrated to ABC News. Collins, a free agent who finished last season with the Washington Wizards, told George Stephanopoulos, “I hope that every player makes a decision that leads to their own happiness.”

He continued, “I know that I, right now, am the happiest that I’ve ever been in my life. A huge weight has been lifted. I’ve already been out to my family and my friends, but just to, you know, sort of rip the Band-Aid off and come out on my own terms.”

At one point, Collins said that he tried to convince himself he wasn’t gay. He was even engaged to be married, but called off the wedding. “Calling off the wedding was obviously a tough decision but it was the right one because I knew I wasn’t getting married for the right reasons,” he said.

“The NBA is like a brotherhood,” Collins continued. “And I’m looking at it that we’ll all support each other on and off the court.”

He also addressed why he, and not another player, wound up being the first athlete in one of the four major North American sports leagues to declare himself openly gay. “You’re sort of waiting around for somebody else to raise their hand,” Collins said. “I’m ready to raise my hand but, you know, you still look around like, ‘OK, come on, guys.’ It’s time for someone else in the room to raise their hand and say, ‘You know what? Yeah, so big deal. I can still play basketball. I can still help the team win, and that’s what’s most important.'”