Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player and a pioneer of inclusivity, has died at age 47 of a brain tumor, his family said.
WASHINGTON — Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who became a pioneer of inclusivity and an ambassador for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive brain tumor, his family announced Tuesday.
Collins played in the league for 13 years and played for six teams. In 2013, towards the end of his career, he revealed that he was gay.
Collins was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, which has a very low survival rate. He is 47 years old.
“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and admired him from afar,” Collins’ family said in a statement released through the NBA. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him greatly.”
Just last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was unable to participate due to illness, and his twin brother, former NBA player Jalen Collins, played in his place.
“Before I got here, I told my brother: He’s the bravest, strongest man I know,” Jalen Collins said when accepting the award.
Jason Collins has career averages of 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He helped the New Jersey Nets reach the NBA Finals twice and averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the team in the 2004-05 season.
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