Jason Collins, NBA’s first openly gay player, dies at 47 of brain tumor
He died at 47 after an eight-month battle with stage 4 glioblastoma, and the NBA said he helped make the league more inclusive.
- On Tuesday, the NBA announced that Jason Collins, the league's first openly gay player, died at age 47 following a battle with brain cancer.
- Collins became a historic figure in 2013 when he announced he was gay in a Sports Illustrated cover story, becoming the first active athlete in a major North American sports league to do so.
- During his 13-year career, Collins played for six franchises and later served as an NBA Cares Ambassador; he traveled to Singapore this past winter for experimental stage 4 glioblastoma treatment.
- His family said in a statement released by the NBA, "We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma."
- NBA Commissioner Silver noted Collins' influence extended "far beyond basketball" as his twin brother, Jarron Collins, accepted the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award on his behalf last week.
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Jason Collins, NBA’s First Gay Player Dead at 47
The first openly homosexual player in the NBA, Jason Collins, died following a terrifying fight with a brain tumor. The 47-year-old retired center had just been married to film producer Brunson Green for a year. In a statement, the Collins family said: ‘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 …
The former basketball player was diagnosed with glioblastoma in September 2025. In 2013, he became the first player in NBA history to publicly reveal his homosexuality.
Jason Collins Got To Tell His Own Story
Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in the NBA, has died of brain cancer, his family announced on Tuesday. He was 47. Last year, Collins was diagnosed with a brain tumor and later revealed that it was Stage 4 glioblastoma, a particularly deadly form. As Collins told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in an article published this past December, he went to Singapore for experimental treatment to try and extend his life. "The goal is to keep fighting t…
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