Jason Collins, 1st openly gay NBA player, dies of brain cancer at 47Ramona ShelburneMay 12, 2026, 06:29 PM ETClose
- Senior writer for ESPN.com
- Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News
Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who has served as a global ambassador for the sport for the past decade, has died of brain cancer, his family reported Tuesday. He was 47.
Collins told ESPN in November that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. He traveled to Singapore this past winter to receive experimental treatments not yet authorized in the United States. Those treatments were effective enough for him to return home, attend NBA All-Star Weekend events in Los Angeles and attend a game at his alma mater, Stanford.
But the cancer returned recently, and Collins died peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family.
“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 reported in a statement released by the NBA. “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.”
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Collins retired in 2014 after a 13-year career that included stops with the New Jersey Nets, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston, Washington and a return to the Nets after they moved to Brooklyn. He revealed he was gay in a 2013 Sports Illustrated cover story, becoming the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four main North American sports leagues.
“When I chose to come out, there was no scandal or anything,” Collins told ESPN in November. “This was like, I feel that I am good enough to play in the NBA and by the way, I’m gay. Just so everyone knows cards on the table, this is where I am.
“Thankfully the Nets were the one team that gave me a tryout.”
Collins played 22 games for the Nets that season, alongside teammates Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. The coach of that team was Jason Kidd, whom Collins had played with as teammates on the New Jersey Nets team that made the NBA Finals in 2002-03.
“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 reported in that November interview with ESPN. “President Obama reported ‘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.”
In a statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver reported Collins’ “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations. He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador.
“Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
Jason Collins retired in 2014 after a 13-year career in the NBA. He revealed he was gay in a 2013 Sports Illustrated cover story, becoming the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four main North American sports leagues. Monica Schipper/Getty ImagesCollins reported doctors told him when he was first diagnosed that he’d have between six weeks and three months if he did nothing to treat his particularly aggressive type of brain tumor.
“I started researching glioblastoma and all of my options. I wanted to know everything about what I was facing,” Collins wrote in a first person story published by ESPN in December.
“As an athlete you learn not to panic in moments like this. These are the cards I’ve been dealt. To me it’s like, ‘Shut up and go play against Shaq.’ You want the challenge? This is the challenge. And there is no bigger challenge in basketball than going up against prime Shaquille O’Neal, and I’ve done that.”
Collins chose a treatment plan that he felt would give him the best quality of life, while also giving him a chance to extend his life beyond the initial prognosis.
Collins was able to complete the initial parts of his treatment plan but the cancer returned too quickly for him to complete all of it. He is survived by his husband, Brunson Green, parents Portia and Paul Collins, and brother, Jarron Collins, who was most recently an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans.
