Jason Collins, first openly gay NBA player, dies from cancer at 47
Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player who has served as a global ambassador for the sport for the past decade, has died from brain cancer, his family said Tuesday. He was 47.
Collins told ESPN in November that he'd been diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. He traveled to Singapore this past winter to receive experimental treatments not yet authorized in the United States. Those treatments were effective enough for him to return home, attend NBA All-Star Weekend events in Los Angeles and a game at his alma mater, Stanford.
But the cancer returned recently, and Collins died peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family.
"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 released by the NBA. "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 retired in 2014 after a 13-year career that included stops with the New Jersey Nets, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston, Washington and back to the Nets after they moved to Brooklyn. He announced he was gay in a 2013 Sports Illustrated cover story, becoming the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four main North American sports leagues.
