Jason Collins, NBA’s first openly gay player, dies at 47 of brain tumor
Jason Collins, who broke the NBA’s barrier for openly gay players, died after his cancer returned despite experimental treatment.
- 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, first openly-gay NBA player, dies of cancer at 47
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in the NBA, has died of brain cancer at the age of 47, according to reports by multiple news outlets. Collins came out publicly as a gay man in a 2013 Sports Illustrated cover story, one year before retiring in 2014. As ESPN reports, by coming out when he did, Collins not just the first openly gay player actively playing in the NBA, but “the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four ma…
Jason Collins, first openly gay NBA player, dies at 47 after 'valiant fight' with brain cancer
Collins announced his diagnosis in September 2025, six months after he married film producer Brunson Green.Jason Collins in 2023Credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via GettyKey PointsJason Collins, the first openly gay NBA player, died on Tuesday at 47 after battling glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.Collins announced his diagnosis in September 2025, just six months after marrying film producer Brunson Green.Collins was drafted…
NBA's First Openly Gay Player Dies at 47
Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, is being remembered as a trailblazer whose impact was felt far beyond basketball. The former center has died at 47 from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain tumor, his family said Tuesday. "Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration...
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