Former National Basketball Association (NBA) centre Jason Collins has died aged 47 after what his family described as a “valiant fight” with glioblastoma, an aggressive and inoperable brain cancer.
The announcement was shared through the NBA and reported by the BBC earlier today, May 13.
Collins revealed in 2025 that he had been diagnosed after struggling with concentration. Doctors later confirmed a rapidly spreading tumour, which he memorably described as “a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of my brain.”
He underwent targeted chemotherapy, medication including Avastin and specialist treatment abroad in an effort to slow the disease.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Collins left a legacy far beyond the court. “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.
Collins made global headlines in 2013 when he became the first active male athlete in a major American professional team sport to publicly come out as gay. His announcement in Sports Illustrated was widely seen as a landmark moment for LGBTQ visibility in sport. He later returned to the league with the Brooklyn Nets, where he had begun his career.
Across 13 seasons, Collins also played for the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics, earning a reputation as a dependable defensive presence and respected teammate.
The Nets said they were “heartbroken”, adding: “Those who were around Jason every day knew him not just as a competitor, but as a genuinely kind, thoughtful person. His courage and authenticity helped move the game and the world forward.”
After retiring in 2014, Collins was named among Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people and later spoke at the Democratic National Convention alongside his twin brother Jarron Collins. Former Stanford University coach Mike Montgomery called his passing a “sad day” for basketball.
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