Jason Collins had written it so matter-of-factly. “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”

The personal essay, which was the cover story of Sports Illustrated in May 2013, made the 7-foot-tall, over-a-decade-long National Basketball Association player a trailblazer: the first openly gay man playing professionally in a major American team sport. He went on to play briefly for the Brooklyn Nets before retiring in November 2014.

Collins’ death at age 47, which was announced on May 12, following a monthslong battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer left not only the sports world but also LGBT advocates across the country in mourning.

“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar,” a statement from Collins’ family provided by the NBA, which confirmed his death, read. “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 had written for ESPN in December 2025 about his Stage 4 glioblastoma diagnosis, expressing his determination to fight the ailment. Glioblastoma is a rare form of brain cancer that, according to the Glioblastoma Research Organization, has a median survival rate for adults of 14.6 months. More than 13,000 Americans are diagnosed with it every year, and it is commonly found in those between 45 and 70 years old.

While Collins wrote about his ordeals as someone battling cancer, from experiencing symptoms to exploring treatments, he also looked back on his public coming out. “I got to tell my own story, the way I wanted to. And now I can honestly say, the past 12 years since have been the best of my life. Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self, unafraid to be your true self, in public or private.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that 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.”

Silver then extended his condolences to Collins’ husband Brunson Green, his family, and his friends, and added that the storied basketball player will be remembered “not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

‘Unique in his own way’

Jason Paul Collins was born on Dec. 2, 1978, in Los Angeles, eight minutes before his twin brother, Jarron Collins. Their parents, Paul and Portia, were insurance agents, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

The twins grew up in the Northridge neighborhood and graduated from the private school Harvard-Westlake. The brothers, who both played basketball, helped win the school back-to-back California Division III titles. Collins also set a state high school rebounding record with 1,500, though another player broke it in 2010.

Both Jason and Jarron continued playing basketball at Stanford University, where the former made nearly 61% of his shots, which to date remains a school record. Collins was named a third-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and an All-America honorable mention by the Associated Press in 2001.

Former Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery said in a statement on Tuesday that “it’s a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program’s greats.”

“We all have great memories of Jason and the kind of person he was,” Montgomery added.
“It’s hard to separate Jarron and Jason because they thought so alike, but even though he was an identical twin, Jason was unique in his own way. The impact he had on Stanford was immense, as he could match up against anyone in the country because he was big, smart, strong and skilled, all while being a very bright and nice person.”

‘An incredible teammate’

In the 2001 NBA draft, Jason Collins was selected by the Houston Rockets as the 18th overall pick. On draft night, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets. (Jarron was drafted in the second round by the Utah Jazz.)

After seven seasons with the Nets, Collins was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008, then the Minnesota Timberwolves, before he joined the Atlanta Hawks in 2009, the Boston Celtics in 2012, and the Washington Wizards in 2013.

Shortly after his coming out, he became a free agent and joined the Nets, who had moved to Brooklyn by then, to play out the rest of the season. He announced his retirement in November 2014.

Collins averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds while in the league.

“This one hurts,” Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who played with Collins on the New Jersey Nets and coached him at the Brooklyn Nets, said in a post on X after Collins’ death. “Jason Collins was a pioneer. He had courage like you’ve never seen. He was an incredible teammate. And having him in Brooklyn at the start of my coaching journey meant so much. Those who knew him were blessed to call him a friend. You are already missed my brother. Rest in power.”

The Nets, in a statement, remembered Collins as “selfless, tough, and deeply respected by teammates, coaches, and staff alike.” Collins helped the Nets reach two NBA Finals, in 2002 and 2003. “Those who were around Jason every day knew him not just as a competitor, but as a genuinely kind, thoughtful person who brought people together,” the Nets’ statement added.

The National Basketball Players Association said in a social media statement that they are proud to call Collins “one of our own” and lauded how his “courage shattered barriers, making him a global beacon of hope for the LGBTQ+ community.”

‘A leader and an inspiration’

“Jason has always maintained he’s first a basketball player. He is,” former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton, a Stanford classmate and friend of Collins, wrote in Collins’ TIME100 profile in 2014. “But he’s also a leader and an inspiration.”

After his retirement, Collins threw himself into advocacy work. He became an NBA Cares ambassador, advocated for LGBT rights, and regularly attended Pride events. He also campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation. He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit to recognize his push for positive social change. His twin brother Jarron accepted it on his behalf because he was too ill to attend. 

“This is such an honor for my brother, for our family,” Jarron Collins said. “I told my brother this before I came here: he’s the bravest, strongest man I’ve ever known.”

“One goal that I have attained in my life that I’m very proud of is to have a positive impact on someone else’s life,” Jason Collins told TIME in 2014. “Hopefully my actions will make it easier for them to live their life, to be whoever they want to be.”