Tributes Pour In For First Out Pro Basketball Player Jason Collins After His Tragic Death At 47

The sports world lost a legend this week. And not just any legend: one who made history.

Jason Collins was the first openly gay active NBA player and the first openly gay professional athlete in any of the four major American sports leagues when he publicly came out in April 2013.

On Tuesday May 12, Collins' family and his husband, film producer Brunson Green, announced that he had passed away at 47 after a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

In a statement, Collins' family wrote:

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma."

“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.”

Collins played 13 seasons in the NBA from 2001 to 2014, beginning and finishing his career as a member of the New Jersey Nets.

In between, he played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.

At the end of the 2013 season, he penned an article for Sports Illustrated in which he did what no NBA player had ever done: he came out of the closet while still actively playing for the league.

He wrote at the time:

“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay."

“I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport."

"But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’"

"If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”

After rejoining the Nets the following year, Collins retired. He met Green, who is best known for producing The Help, shortly thereafter. They married in May 2025.

In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wrote of the legacy Collins leaves behind in sports.

“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."

Collins' family echoed Silver's sentiments:

“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar.”

On social media, news of Collins' death quickly resulted in an outpouring of tributes.

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who coached the Brooklyn Nets at the time of Collins' return to the team, wrote a heartfelt post on X describing Collins as both an "incredible teammate" and a "pioneer."

Tennis legend Billie Jean King, herself a trailblazer, having become one of the first openly gay professional athletes in America after being out in 1981, praised Collins' service on her non-profit organization and for helping "move sports and society forward."

Even former President Bill Clinton took time to immortalize Collins, a friend of his daughter Chelsea's whom he described as "a big man with an even bigger heart," a reference to Collins legendary 7-foot height.

Former basketball legend Charles Barkley even spoke about Collins' impact during the NBC playoffs, praising Collins for being a "shining example" of being truly himself and lamenting how his journey came to an end.

Sports fans, those passionate about LGBTQ+ rights and those who knew Collins personally have also immortalized him in the wake of his death.

Collins wrote for Sports Illustrated again in December 2025, when he announced his glioblastoma diagnosis. He shared that, despite his health troubles, the last chapter of his life had been the best of all.

He wrote:

“I got to tell my own story, the way I wanted to. And now I can honestly say, the past 12 years since have been the best of my life."

"Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self, unafraid to be your true self, in public or private.”

May he rest.