Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Former professional basketball player Jason Collins, the first active male athlete in a major American professional team sport to come out as gay, has died at the age of 47.
Collins died after a “valiant battle against glioblastoma,” an aggressive form of brain cancer, his family said in a statement shared by the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He announced last year that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment to stop the spread of the inoperable disease.
“Jason Collins’ impact and influence extended far beyond basketball, as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and the sports community as a whole more inclusive and welcoming for future generations,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
“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,” Silver added.
Collins said in December 2025 that the cancer was discovered when he was having trouble concentrating.
The brain tumor, he said, looked like “a monster with tentacles extending under my brain the width of a baseball.”
Without treatment, he would die within three months, doctors told Collins.
In revealing his diagnosis to the world, he said it reminded him of his decision to publicly come out as gay in 2013 in a front-page Sports Illustrated article. The years that followed were “the best of my life,” he said.
“Your life is so much better when you show up as your true self, without being afraid to be your true self, in public or private. This is me. This is what I’m dealing with.”
Collins was being treated with a drug called Avastin to slow the growth of the tumor and was traveling to Singapore for a targeted form of chemotherapy.
Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
The California native began his career in college, playing for Stanford University before joining the NBA. He played for six teams during his 13 seasons in the league, starting with the New Jersey Nets. He was previously included on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list. He retired in 2014.
“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar,” his family said Tuesday.
He began his essay for Sports Illustrated in 2013 by writing, “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black and I’m gay.”
He was a free agent at the time the essay was published, so it remained unclear whether his release would end his NBA career.
Although the gay rights movement saw significant developments around this time, same-sex marriage was not legal in the United States until 2015.
Collins then joined the Nets – where he began his career – after moving to Brooklyn, and he became the first openly gay athlete to play in one of the four major American sports leagues.
Mike Segar/Reuters
The Nets said in a statement that they were heartbroken by Collins’ death.
“Jason spent eight seasons in a Nets uniform, helping define an era of our franchise and playing an integral role on our back-to-back Eastern Conference championship teams in 2002 and 2003,” the team said.
“Those who knew Jason every day knew him not only as a competitor, but also as a genuinely kind and caring person who brought people together. His impact extended far beyond the field, and his courage and authenticity helped move the game – and the world – forward.”
Former Stanford University basketball coach Mike Montgomery told US media it was a “sad day” and that Collins was one of the school’s “greats”.
“The impact he had on Stanford was immense, because he could compete with anyone in the country because he was big, smart, strong and competent, as well as being a very bright and kind person,” Montgomery said.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
What is glioblastoma?
Glioblastoma, or GBM, is an aggressive type of brain cancer that starts in cells called astrocytes, which support nerve cells, according to the Mayo Clinic.
It is part of a larger group of tumors called gliomas.
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults.
It can occur at any age, but most often occurs in older people.
Symptoms may vary depending on where the tumor forms in the brain. This may include seizures or changes in thinking, speaking, vision, strength, sensation, or balance.
Although treatments can potentially slow the growth of tumors, there is no known cure.
