Late NBA star Jason Collins is survived by his partner of 13 years, husband Brunson Green.
Collins, the primary openly gay NBA athlete, died in May 2026.
“We’re heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” the athlete’s family told the NBA in a press release. “Jason modified lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those that admired him from afar.”
The statement continued, “We’re grateful for the outpouring of affection 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 publicly got here out as gay in 2013, one yr before retiring from pro basketball.
“Once I selected to come back out, there was no scandal or anything,” Collins wrote in a December 2025 essay for ESPN. “This was like, I feel that I’m ok to play within the NBA and by the way in which, I’m gay. Just so everyone knows cards on the table, that is where I’m.”
Collins began dating Green that very same yr. They wed in May 2025.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Collins’ husband:
How Did Jason Collins and Brunson Green Meet?
Collins and Green were introduced months after the professional athlete publicly got here out as gay.
“We first met at a housewarming party last June, but I used to be dating another person on the time,” Collins told The Latest York Times in June 2014. “Fast-forward to September, I’m single again, and I see him at a celebration in L.A. So we exchange information because he was leaving for Europe the subsequent day. But while he was gone, I used to be asking everyone: Have you ever heard of this guy? The background check.”
Collins and Green were together for a decade before tying the knot in May 2025.
Brunson Green Is a Movie Producer
Green has worked as a movie producer for a long time, working on movies like 2011’s The Help.
“Well, we met in Mississippi through a mutual friend, and the one reason she introduced us was because he was thinking about working in film and our mutual friend was like, ‘Brunson is coming into town and he works in film,’” Green told Collider on the time, referring to Tate Taylor. “So, she asked us to go to this blues festival together, and that’s after we first met. We had lots of mutual friends, but we went to different high schools, so we didn’t know one another as kids. Our parents knew one another, but it surely was rival high schools.”
Green added, “So, our first conversation was about film. I suggested that he go work on this movie called A Time to Kill, which was shooting in Jackson, and he worked on that and met Octavia [Spencer] on that movie. It’s weird that that one friend of ours in Mississippi, who put us together, is the entire reason Tate met Octavia, after which all of them moved to L.A. We’re here due to friendship. It’s cool.”
Hollywood mourned the deaths of a few of its most legendary stars in 2026. The yr began off with Broadway performer and influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford’s death at age 46. At the top of the month, comedy acting icon Catherine O’Hara died at age 71. In February, Designing Women’s Camilla Carr died at age 83, Dawson’s Creek […]
Brunson Green Supported Jason Collins During His Cancer Battle
Collins was diagnosed with stage IV glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, in 2025. Green stood by his side throughout his treatment.
“Even when fighting brain cancer, you will have to recharge and @thesanchaya is the proper getaway to do this,” Collins wrote via Instagram in November 2025. “Very relaxing birthday weekend for @brunsong & me. ❤️🏝️☀️😎💪🏾🙌🏾.”