Hawks fans might remember Jason Collins as the man who turned in a key performance in the 2011 first round playoff series victory over the Orlando Magic, guarding Dwight Howard, who was then the star center for the Magic.

In a statement, Hawks managing partner Bruce Levenson expressed support and respect for Collins.  Levinson said, “Creating an environment where we support, respect and accept our players’ individual rights is very important to us.”

But former NBA star, and Atlanta resident, Joe Barry Carroll said league and team managers will have to back up their support of Collins with actions.

Carroll told WABE,  “I think he will even experience that there will be people who will say things that will be polite and appropriate publicly.  But what happens when it comes time to make some very serious and longterm decisions, is when we’ll really find out what we’re made of.”

Carroll said it’s too early to tell whether Collins, and other gay players who might come out in the future, will be accepted by teammates and competitors.  But he said he’s encouraged by what he called the independent thinking of many younger players.  He concluded, “We may be pleasantly surprised by their response.”

Carroll played for five NBA teams over ten years from the 80s through 1991.  He said the issue of gay players never really arose during his time in the league.