When the National Basketball Association season starts on Christmas Day, players will be protected from sexual orientation  discrimination.

On Thursday the players' union and the NBA signed a new collective bargaining agreement, ending a 149-day lockout.

"The NBA now joins leading Fortune 500 companies and the vast majority of Americans who believe that gay people should have the same opportunities to work and live freely as who they are," said Mike Thompson, acting president of GLAAD. "This decision shows that homophobia has no place on the court or in the game and we hope that local, college and high school teams follow this important example."

Now all three major sports in the United States, including the National Football League and Major League Baseball, have language protecting gay and lesbian athletes. The MLB and NFL  added the clauses in their recent collective bargaining contracts.

Presently there are no out players in the three leagues.