Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in National Basketball Association (NBA) history while still active, has died at 47 after a long fight with brain cancer.
“We are devastated to announce that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has passed away after a courageous battle with glioblastoma,” Collins's family said in a statement Tuesday.
In September, Collins revealed he was being treated for a brain tumor and later confirmed he had stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Standing 2.13 meters tall, Collins shocked the sports world in 2013 when he became the first active male athlete in one of the four major North American professional sports leagues to come out as gay. He made the announcement in a personal essay for Sports Illustrated.
Over a 13-season NBA career, Collins was selected 18th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2001 draft, but was traded to the New Jersey Nets on draft night. He played for six teams: the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.
His career highlight came with the Nets, reaching the NBA Finals in back-to-back years in 2002 and 2003 alongside famous teammates such as Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson.
Collins's coming out drew widespread support across the sports world, including from former U.S. President Barack Obama.
“Jason changed people’s lives in ways he never imagined and was an inspiration to all who knew him and those who admired him from afar,” his family said. “Our family will miss him immensely.”
Arn Tellem, Collins's former agent and now vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons, said Collins's decision to come out changed many lives.
“Jason’s legacy is a beacon of tolerance, dignity, respect, inclusion, compassion, and understanding,” Tellem said in a statement. “He left this world a better place than he found it.”
