Jason Collins, a former Stanford basketball star who became the NBA’s first openly gay player during his 13-year professional career, died from brain cancer at the age of 47.
Collins’ family announced the news on Tuesday via a statement published by the NBA: “We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma. 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 shared his diagnosis with stage 4 glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer, with ESPN last fall. According to the outlet, the former center sought out experimental treatments in Singapore that were effective enough to allow him to return to the U.S., and he attended events around the NBA All-Star weekend. He was even spotted at Stanford’s rivalry matchup with Cal on Feb. 21 in Berkeley. But ESPN reported that the cancer “returned recently” and that Collins died peacefully with his family surrounding him.
Collins played for six teams in his 13-year NBA career. He was a starter for the Nets when they were in New Jersey for the majority of the first half of his career before he ended up as a journeyman, bouncing around to play in Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston and Washington. Before he returned to the Nets, when they were in Brooklyn, for his final season in 2013, Collins publicly came out as gay in a Sports Illustrated article.
Collins and his twin brother, Jarron Collins, were a key part of Stanford’s best stretch in the modern era. Under coach Mike Montgomery, the freshman twins helped the Cardinal reach the 1998 Final Four, where Stanford lost by one to Kentucky in overtime. The Cardinal became the nation’s No. 1 team during their senior year. (Stanford was upset in the Elite Eight by Maryland.)
“It’s a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program’s greats,” Montgomery said in a statement released by the school. “We all have great memories of Jason and the kind of person he was. 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. I’ll miss him dearly, and my heart goes out to the Collins family, because Sara and I know what it’s like to lose a child.” Jason Collins is survived by his husband, Brunson Green; his parents, Portia and Paul Collins; and his brother, Jarron Collins.
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