NBA trailblazer Jason Collins dead at 47: Basketball mourns first openly gay player after brain cancer battle

Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player, died after a tough battle with a brain tumor. The retired center was 47 and just a year away from her wedding to film producer Brunson Green.

“We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle Jason Collins has passed away after a heroic battle with glioblastoma,” the Collins family said in a statement. ‘Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and those who admired him from afar.

‘We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and the outstanding medical care Jason has received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him very much.’

On Tuesday, ahead of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals in San Antonio, the NBA held a moment of silence for both Collins and Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, who was pronounced dead earlier in the day.

Although he remained closeted for most of his career, Collins came out as gay to Sports Illustrated in May 2013 as he languished on the free agent market.

The following season, former New Jersey Nets teammate Jason Kidd brought him to Brooklyn, where Kidd was coaching the newly relocated team.

Jason Collins’ jersey number 98 became the NBA’s best-selling jersey in the 2013-14 season

On February 23, 2014, Collins signed a 10-day contract with the team, and in doing so became the league’s first openly gay player. He would remain with the Nets for the remainder of the season before retiring the following November.

Kidd reacted to the news on Tuesday.

The NBA legend wrote to X: ‘This hurts. Jason Collins was a pioneer. He had a courage you’ve never seen before. He was an incredible teammate. It meant a lot to have him in Brooklyn at the beginning of my coaching journey. Those who knew him were lucky to call him a friend. You miss my brother already. ‘Rest in strength.’

Collins’ number 98 jersey became one of the league’s most coveted items in 2014. He later explained that he chose the number to honor Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who was beaten, tortured, and left for dead near Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998.

Although some accused the team of signing Collins to attract liberal fans in Brooklyn, the Nets’ management office insisted the move was a “basketball decision,” and his teammates and coaches quickly agreed.

“Toughness, rebounding, professionalism,” Kidd said of Collins. ‘He brings a lot to the table for us.’

Collins became the NBA’s first openly gay player when he came out in an open letter in 2013.

It has also become a symbol for gay sports fans, many of whom feel underrepresented by the leagues they follow.

Jared Max, a gay sports radio star in the New York area, told The Wall Street Journal at the time that the signing was a turning point in the industry.

“There are not just cracks in the dam,” Max said. ‘There are places where water flows through.’

By coming out, Collins also became the first gay athlete to play in a major American team sport, something he once had a hard time imagining for himself.

“I was dating women when I was young,” he wrote at the time. ‘I’m already engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I should marry a woman and raise children with her.

‘I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue.’

When Collins retired from basketball in 2014, he was in a very different place. Not only was she in a relationship with Green, but she had also taken on a new role as an LGBTQ+ role model and supporter.

‘I will continue to encourage others to live an authentic life,’ he wrote in his retirement statement. ‘My hope is that everyone reaches that day when you step forward and reveal your truth on your own terms. Your life will be exponentially better when you celebrate everything that makes you unique. I also hope to inspire others to create a world of acceptance and inclusion; ‘Not only with his words, but also with his actions.’

Collins is seen at her wedding to Brunson Green. Jason’s twin Jarron is in the background

Then Collins’ life took a tragic turn last year. As Collins explained in his December article ESPN.comHe was battling glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor that is often considered a death sentence for patients.

She and Green first noticed their symptoms shortly after their wedding in May 2025.

‘In May, I married the love of my life, Brunson Green, in Austin, Texas, in a ceremony that could not have been more perfect,’ she wrote. ‘We were supposed to go to the US Open in August, like every year, but I wasn’t nearly ready when the car arrived to take us to the airport. And for the first time in decades, we missed the flight because I couldn’t focus on packing.

‘I’ve been experiencing strange symptoms like this for a week or two, but as long as there’s nothing really wrong I’ll get over it. ‘I’m an athlete.’

This led Collins to get a CT scan at UCLA, which led to the discovery of his cancer.

His life has changed irreparably. The first things Collins went to were his short-term memory and mental clarity, he wrote on ESPN.com. Although prescription medications helped relieve brain fog, cancer treatments were ultimately unsuccessful.

New Jersey Nets (LR) Lucious Harris, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin Jason Kidd and Jason Collins photographed during Game 1 of the 2003 NBA Finals in San Antonio.

Collins’ time as an LGBTQ+ icon was a significant departure from her life as a talented seven-footer growing up in California.

Collins, along with his twin brother Jarron, helped transform Stanford into a national basketball powerhouse from 1997 to 2001. Meanwhile, the North Hollywood native became an active student and befriended classmates like Chelsea Clinton, then graduated with a bachelor’s degree in humanities and a master’s degree in social psychology.

He was selected in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the then-New Jersey Nets and quickly helped turn around the team’s declining fortunes.

Collaborating with Kidd and a supporting cast that included Kerry Kittles, Richard Jefferson and Kenyon Martin, Collins’ defense and effort helped transform the Nets into an Eastern Conference power in the early 2000s. They reached the NBA Finals twice in the early 2000s, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, before key players left for other teams.

He was also a favorite teammate of Hall of Fame point guard Kidd and continued to support Collins before and after he came out of the closet.

“Jason’s sexuality does not change the fact that he is a great friend and a great teammate,” Kidd wrote on social media in 2013.

Jarron (right) and Jason (left) Collins photographed during their college days at Stanford

Jarron (left) and Jason (right) Collins photographed playing against each other in 2003.

Collins is seen with (left to right) Nets coach Byron Scott, manager Rod Thorn, Aaron Williams, Dikembe Mutombo, Kenyon Martin, Jason Kidd and (kneeling) Richard Jefferson.

In addition to playing for the Nets, Collins also represented the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement: ‘Jason Collins’ impact and influence went far beyond basketball; “It has helped make the NBA, WNBA and the greater sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations,” he said.

He has demonstrated outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and his dedicated work as an NBA Care Ambassador. Jason will be remembered not only for overcoming obstacles, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many people.

‘On behalf of the NBA, I extend my sincerest condolences to Jason’s husband Brunson and his family, as well as to his friends and colleagues around the league.’