Jason Collins, First Openly Gay NBA Player, Dies at 47 After ‘Valiant Fight’ with Brain Cancer

Jason Collins has died.

via: EW

Jason Collins, who made history as the first openly gay NBA player in 2014, died on Tuesday after a battle with glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 47.

"We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma," his family said in a statement. "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, who was married to film producer Brunson Green, announced he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumor in September 2025.

The 7-foot center played 13 seasons in the NBA, after being drafted in 2001 along with his twin brother Jarron, who is currently an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Collins, a native of Los Angeles, began his career with the New Jersey Nets and played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, and Boston Celtics. In 2014, after coming out as gay the previous year, he signed as a free agent with the Nets (who had since moved the team to Brooklyn) for his final season in the NBA.

On Thursday evening, Collins was remembered with a moment of silence before the Timberwolves played the San Antonio Spurs for Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs.

"Jason Collins' impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in the statement. "He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador. 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."

Three months before his death, Collins made an appearance at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, where he volunteered at the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service.

In December 2025, Collins opened up to ESPN about his battle with Stage 4 brain cancer.

"In May I married the love of my life, Brunson Green, at a ceremony in Austin, Texas, that couldn't have been more perfect," Collins began. "In August, we were supposed to go to the US Open, just as every year, but when the car came to take us to the airport, I was nowhere near ready. And for the first time in decades, we missed the flight because I couldn't stay focused to pack."

He said he had been having "weird symptoms" for two weeks, "but unless something is really wrong, I'm going to push through. I'm an athlete."

Collins immediately began radiation as well as a drug called Avastin to stop the tumor's rapid growth. "We aren't going to sit back and let this cancer kill me without giving it a hell of a fight," he vowed. "The average prognosis is only 11 to 14 months. If that's all the time I have left, I'd rather spend it trying a course of treatment that might one day be a new standard of care for everyone."

"After I came out," Collins continued, "someone I really respect told me that my choice to live openly could help someone who I might never meet. I've held onto that for years. And if I can do that again now, then that matters."