Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who went on to change into a pioneer for inclusion and an envoy for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive type of a brain tumor, his family announced Tuesday.
Collins spent 13 years as a player within the league for six different franchises. He revealed in 2013 that he was gay, an announcement that got here toward the top of his playing profession.
Collins had been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, which has an especially low survival rate. He was 47.
“Jason modified lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those that admired him from afar,” Collins’ family said in a press release released through the NBA. “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.”
Just last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award on the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too sick to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him.
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“I told my brother this before I got here here: He’s the bravest, strongest man I’ve ever known,” Jarron Collins said while accepting that award.
Jason Collins averaged 3.6 points and three.7 rebounds in his profession. He helped the Latest Jersey Nets reach two NBA Finals and in his best season averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for them in 2004-05.
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