NBA Pioneer and Stanford Star Jason Collins Dies After Battle with Brain Cancer
-
Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of a brain tumor, his family announced Tuesday
Compare 10 other versions
The Guardian USJason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player, who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of a brain tumor, his family announced on Tuesday.
NBC NewsJason Collins, a longtime NBA center who became the first openly gay man to play in any of America’s four leading professional sports leagues, died Tuesday following months of treatment for glioblastoma. He was 47.
NPR NewsJason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of a brain tumor, his family announced Tuesday.
Associated PressJason Collins, NBA’s first openly gay player, dies at 47 of brain tumor Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of a brain tumor, his family announced Tuesday.
BreitbartJason Collins, a longtime NBA veteran and the league’s first openly gay player, died Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer.
Washington TimesCollins, a longtime NBA center who became the first man to come out as openly gay while playing in any of America’s four major professional sports leagues, died Tuesday after months of treatment for glioblastoma. He was 47.
PBS NewsHourRemembering the impact of Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player Jason Collins, a pioneer in the world of sports, has died. Collins was the first openly gay athlete to play in one of the four major American sports leagues. Tributes are pouring in for a man remembered as a beloved friend, fierce competitor and a tireless advocate for equality. Amna Nawaz reports.
Washington PostJason Collins, a gay trailblazer in the NBA, dies of brain cancer at 47 He was the first active, openly gay player in the league’s history. In December 2025, he announced that he had a deadly form of brain cancer.
BBC NewsFormer pro-basketball player Jason Collins, the first active male athlete on a major American professional team sport to come out as gay, has died aged 47.
New York TimesJason Collins, First Active N.B.A. Player to Come Out as Gay, Dies at 47 His achievements on the court were eclipsed by an essay he wrote in Sports Illustrated in 2013 in which he declared: “I’m a 34-year-old N.B.A. center. I’m Black and I’m gay.”
-
Just last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him.
Compare 3 other versions
Associated PressJust last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him.
ABC NewsJust last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him.
The Guardian USJust last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted the award for him.
-
His decision was widely lauded, with star players such as Kobe Bryant quickly speaking out in support of Collins. There was even support from the White House and then-former President Bill Clinton — whose daughter, Chelsea, went to Stanford with Collins. At Stanford, Collins was roommates with someone who was part of another American political dynasty, that being Joe Kennedy III, who spent eight years in Congress representing Massachusetts.
Compare 1 other version
Associated PressHis decision was widely lauded, with star players such as Kobe Bryant quickly speaking out in support of Collins. There was even support from the White House and then-former President Bill Clinton — whose daughter, Chelsea, went to Stanford with Collins. At Stanford, Collins was roommates with someone who was part of another American political dynasty, that being Joe Kennedy III, who spent eight years in Congress representing Massachusetts.
-
Collins made nearly 61% of his shots in his career at Stanford, which remains a school record. He was an honorable mention selection for The Associated Press’ All-America team in 2001, a few months before the Houston Rockets took him with the 18th pick in that year’s NBA draft.
Compare 1 other version
NPR NewsCollins made nearly 61% of his shots in his career at Stanford, which remains a school record. He was an honorable mention selection for The Associated Press' All-America team in 2001, a few months before the Houston Rockets took him with the 18th pick in that year's NBA draft.
-
"It's a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program's greats," former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "We all have great memories of Jason and the kind of person he was. It's hard to separate Jarron and Jason because they thought so alike, but even though he was an identical twin, Jason was unique in his own way. The impact he had on Stanford was immense, as he could match up against anyone in the country because he was big, smart, strong and skilled, all while being a very bright and nice person."
Compare 1 other version
Associated Press“It’s a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program’s greats,” former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. “We all have great memories of Jason and the kind of person he was. It’s hard to separate Jarron and Jason because they thought so alike, but even though he was an identical twin, Jason was unique in his own way. The impact he had on Stanford was immense, as he could match up against anyone in the country because he was big, smart, strong and skilled, all while being a very bright and nice person.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
4 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
-
01 Washington Times Barkley praised Collins for the personal cost of his public disclosure. “Courageous, and when he came out, man, I thought it was amazing to put himself under the microscope and the scrutiny and the hatred and the vitriol that was going to happen,” Barkley said. “But man, I hate the way this story ended because he was a shining example.”
-
02 The Guardian US He is a shooting guard that doesn’t often shoot. A wing deployed less for lift than pressure. The style of Australia’s best basketballer, Dyson Daniels, is difficult to describe. “It’s kind of hard for me to describe it too,” he says. “It’s unique.”
-
03 BBC News Collins said in December 2025 that the cancer was discovered after he was struggling to focus.
-
04 Breitbart In 2013, the Stanford product and California native made national headlines when he announced that he was gay, becoming the first athlete in a major North American sports league to publicly come out as gay.
Fact Corroboration
Which sources independently confirm the same facts. Hover a claim to see its sources, or a source to see what it corroborates.
Coverage by Perspective
Source Similarity
Connections show how similarly each outlet covered this story. Thicker lines = more similar framing.
Sources (11)
- abc
- npr
- washtimes
- nbc
- nyt
- wapo
- guardian
- bbc
- breitbart
- ap
- pbs