Jason Collins, trailblazing gay NBA player, dies at 47

Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in NBA history and a landmark figure for LGBTQ+ inclusion in professional sports, has died at 47.

His family has announced that Collins died from an aggressive brain tumour after an eight-month illness. He had been diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, a cancer with very limited treatment options and low survival rates.

Over a 13-year NBA career, Collins played for six franchises and became best known not for his statistics - he averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds - but for the courage of his public coming-out in 2013, Independent reports. In a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated, written while he was a free agent, Collins declared he was gay and expressed his desire to continue playing, which he did the following season in 22 games with the Brooklyn Nets.

“If I had my way, someone else would have already done this,” he wrote at the time. “Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”

Collins’ announcement broke new ground in men’s professional team sports and became a galvanizing moment for LGBTQ+ visibility. He received swift backing from NBA stars, including Kobe Bryant, and support from national political leaders, including the White House and former President Bill Clinton, whose daughter Chelsea attended Stanford with Collins. At Stanford, Collins roomed with Joe Kennedy III, later a member of Congress from Massachusetts.

In their statement, released through the NBA, Collins’ family said: “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.”

Just days before his death, Collins was honoured with the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. Due to his declining health, he was unable to attend; his twin brother, former NBA player and current coach Jarron Collins, accepted on his behalf.

“I told my brother this before I came here: He’s the bravest, strongest man I’ve ever known,” Jarron Collins said.

On the court, Jason Collins played a key role for the New Jersey Nets teams that reached consecutive NBA Finals, highlighted by his 2004–05 season in which he averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds. Off the court, he became a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ equality in sports.

“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. “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.

“On behalf of the NBA, I send my heartfelt condolences to Jason’s husband, Brunson, and his family, friends and colleagues across our leagues.”

Collins’ commitment to LGBTQ+ rights predated his public coming-out, though he largely kept those views private during his playing days. He wore jersey No. 98 for most of his final three stops — Boston, Washington and Brooklyn — in honour of Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student whose 1998 murder became a rallying point for hate-crime legislation and queer activism. In one game for the Nets, he wore No. 46, the only jersey available when he signed.

He later wrote that he realized he needed to live openly after watching Joe Kennedy III march in Boston’s Pride parade in 2012, while he remained closeted and unable to join publicly. That realization helped propel his historic decision the following year.

Before the NBA, Collins starred at Stanford University, where he set a school record by making nearly 61 percent of his field-goal attempts and earned honourable mention All-America recognition from The Associated Press in 2001. The Houston Rockets selected him 18th overall in that year’s NBA draft.

“It’s a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the programme’s greats,” former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. “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.”

Collins’ life and career helped expand the space for LGBTQ+ athletes to live openly, particularly in men’s professional sports, where coming out has often carried significant risk. His example continues to resonate with younger players, advocates, and fans who see visibility as essential to equality.