Yesterday Jason Collins made news–and history–as the first active NBA player to come out. Nothing especially funny or Jewish about that, right? Wrong. Turns out when Collins was a Harvard-Westlake Wolverine he had a very funny, very Jewish teammate: Jason Segel.
In the flurry of reporting that followed the breaking of the Collins story, Sports Illustrated dug up a 1996 team photo, in which the “How I Met Your Mother” actor is standing right by the player and his twin brother.
While Segel wasn’t the team’s biggest talent, he was known for his humor and theatrics. His big personality was even documented in a 1996 Los Angeles Times story about the team.
“During Harvard’s two-week East Coast trip in December, Segel wowed a Florida crowd with a two-handed slam made with the front of his jersey pulled over his head. Before the dunk, Segel stood poised, calling for silence with outstretched arms. After the dunk, he dove headfirst into the stands.”
Apparently his love of “The Muppets” date back to high school, too. Doctor Dunk, as he was called post-crowd dive, entertained his teammates off the court with impressions of Schwarzenegger and, yes, Kermit the Frog.
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