Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in NBA history, has passed away at the age of 47 after a battle with brain cancer, his family announced on Tuesday.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” the family said in a statement released through 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.”
Collins revealed his diagnosis of Stage 4 glioblastoma in an essay for ESPN last December, where he described the aggressive nature of the cancer and his determination to fight it. He traveled to Singapore for experimental treatments not yet approved in the United States, and later attended events such as NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles and a game at his alma mater, Stanford University. However, the cancer returned, and Collins passed away peacefully at his home in Florida, surrounded by family.
Just last week, Collins was too ill to attend the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award ceremony in Cleveland, where he was honored at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. His twin brother and former NBA player, Jarron Collins, accepted the award on his behalf.
“I told my brother this before I came here: He’s the bravest, strongest man I’ve ever known,” Jarron Collins said at the event.
Collins came out publicly in 2013, becoming the first active athlete in one of North America’s four major sports leagues to do so. He played for the Nets, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Hawks, Celtics, and Wizards before retiring in 2014. He married film producer Brunson Green in May 2025, just months before his cancer complications emerged.
In his ESPN essay, Collins reflected on his journey: “When I came out publicly as the first active gay basketball player in 2013, I told a lot of the people closest to me before I did so. I wasn’t worried it would leak before the story came out, because I trusted the people I told. And guess what? Nothing leaked. I got to tell my own story, the way I wanted to. And now I can honestly say, the past 12 years since have been the best of my life. Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self, unafraid to be your true self, in public or private. This is me. This is what I’m dealing with.”
Former Stanford men’s basketball head coach Mike Montgomery paid tribute: “It’s a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program’s greats. We all have great memories of Jason and the kind of person he was. The impact he had on Stanford was immense… I’ll miss him dearly, and my heart goes out to the Collins family.”
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called Collins “a giant” in the LGBTQ+ movement: “To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today. He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47.”
Collins is survived by his husband, Brunson Green; his parents, Portia and Paul Collins; and his brother Jarron, who most recently served as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans.