Jason Collins, first openly gay NBA player, dies at 47 after cancer battle

Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in NBA history, has died after a battle with Stage 4 glioblastoma. He was 47. “We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, as died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” his family announced 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.

” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver remembered Collins for the lives he changed. “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,” Silver said in a statement released by the league. “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,” Silver added. Collins revealed his diagnosis publicly in December 2025 in a first-person essay for ESPN, describing an aggressive brain tumor that had spread across both hemispheres in a butterfly pattern.