The NBA mourns Jason Collins. As his family announced, the former basketball pro died at age 47 from a brain tumor. Collins drew wide attention during his playing days in 2013 when he publicly came out as gay—the first active NBA player to do so. The family wrote, “Jason changed the lives of many people in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to everyone who knew him, as well as to those who admired him from afar.” Collins had made his illness public last September. He subsequently underwent an experimental therapy in Singapore that brought temporary improvement, but the cancer returned.
NBA Chief Praises Collins’ “Impact and Influence”
Collins played in the NBA from 2001 to 2014. He began his career with the then-New Jersey Nets and finished his career back with the team after it had relocated to Brooklyn.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that Collins’ “impact and influence reached far beyond basketball, as he helped make the NBA, the WNBA, and the sports world at large more inclusive and open for future generations.”
Collins Died a Year After His Wedding
“The last twelve years since my coming out have been the best years of my life,” Collins said in a December interview. “Your life is so much better when you simply show up as your true self.”
In his battle with cancer, he drew parallels to his coming out. “As an athlete you learn not to panic in moments like these. These are the cards you’ve been dealt. For me it’s like: ‘Shut up and play against Shaq,'” he said, referring to earlier duels with basketball giants such as Shaquille O’Neal.
Just a year earlier, Jason Collins had married his longtime partner, film producer Brunson Green.
