Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, dead at 47 after battle with brain cancer
· Yahoo Sports
Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, dead at 47 after battle with brain cancer originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jason Collins, a longtime big man who played 13 seasons in the NBA, died today after a battle with glioblastoma. He was 47 years old.
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Collins was a beloved figure in the basketball world who made history in 2013, when he became the NBA's first active player to come out as gay.
His family issued the following statement via NBA Communications today upon his passing:
We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma. Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.
Collins played his college basketball at Stanford after a sterling prep career at famed high school Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles. He is the all-time leader in field goal percentage for the Cardinal, and was inducted alongside twin brother Jarron into the Stanford Hall of Fame in 2017.
The Houston Rockets selected Collins with the 18th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. He went onto to play 13 seasons in the NBA with six different teams. Known for being a physical inside presence and steady rebounder, Collins posted modest numbers during his career, with his best season being the 2004-05 campaign with the New Jersey Nets. He averaged 6.4 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game while playing in 80 games, with 78 starts.
His time in New Jersey eventually set the stage for him to return to the Nets in 2013-14, which was the final stop in his playing career. He signed a 10-day contract with the now Brooklyn Nets.
Shortly after landing in Brooklyn, Collins graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and wrote a first person article appearing in the magazine in which he opened up publicly for the first time.
Collins subsequently became a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ causes. He served as an NBA Cares ambassador after his retirement from the NBA in 2014.
What is Glioblastoma?
According to The Mayo Clinic glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain cancer that is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. It can occur at any age, but is most common in older adults. It is a grade four tumor, meaning it spreads quickly and is very difficult to remove completely.
Collins announced his his battle with cancer in 2025, then opened up in an interview with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. In that interview, he recounted his diagnosis which was initially trigged by what he thought was brain fog and an inability to focus on simple tasks. He cited missing a flight to New York City for the US Open tennis tournament simply because he could not focus enough to pack.
Jason Collins is survived by his husband, Brunson Green, parents Portia and Paul, and brother Jarron.