Collins Died Peacefully At His Home Surrounded By His Family After ‘Valiant Fight’ With Brain Cancer
Jason Collins, the former NBA center who became the first openly gay active player in NBA history, died Tuesday after battling glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 47.
The NBA announced his death in a statement shared on behalf of his family, who said Collins “changed lives in unexpected ways” and thanked supporters for their love and prayers over the past eight months.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” his family said in a statement.
“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 was first diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in 2025. After the diagnosis, he sought experimental treatment overseas that had not yet been authorized in the United States. The treatment allowed him to return home and participate in events surrounding NBA All Star Weekend in Los Angeles in February, along with events at Stanford, his alma mater.
A Career That Reached Beyond Basketball
Collins played 13 seasons in the NBA after being drafted in 2001. He spent time with several teams, including the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets.
Before the NBA, Collins was a standout player in Southern California alongside his twin brother, Jarron Collins. Both brothers went on to play at Stanford before Jason Collins built a professional career known for toughness, defense and leadership.
After retiring, Collins continued working with the league as an NBA Cares Ambassador and served as a global ambassador for basketball. His work allowed him to remain connected to the game while using his platform to support inclusion, community engagement and representation in sports.
A Historic Voice For Inclusion In Sports
Collins made history in 2013 when he came out publicly in a Sports Illustrated essay, writing, “I’m a 34 year old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”
His announcement made him the first active gay player in the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB. The decision drew criticism from some, but it also brought wide support across sports, politics and popular culture, including from then President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and several of his teammates.
“When I did come out publicly, it was interesting, it was very rare, but I got back to back calls from Oprah Winfrey and President Barack Obama,” Collins said in a November 2013 interview with ESPN. “President Obama said ‘Congratulations, what you’ve done today will have a positive impact on someone you might not ever meet in your lifetime.’”
“I think that’s a really cool thing and I want to do that again as far as having an opportunity to help someone that I might not ever meet in my lifetime,” Collins said.
The Human Rights Campaign remembered Collins as a groundbreaking figure whose decision to come out while still playing shifted the conversation around LGBTQ representation in men’s professional sports. HRC President Kelley Robinson said Collins stepped forward “at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’ influence reached beyond basketball and helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations. Silver also remembered Collins for his leadership, professionalism, kindness and humanity.
Collins died peacefully at his home surrounded by family after what his loved ones called a “valiant fight” with brain cancer. He is survived by his husband, Brunson Green; his parents, Portia and Paul Collins; and his twin brother, Jarron Collins.
For many, Collins’ legacy will not be measured only by points, rebounds or seasons played. It will be remembered through the door he opened for athletes who came after him, and through the courage it took to tell the truth in a space that had long expected silence.
