Jason Collins at a White House Pride event – Photo: Facebook
Jason Collins, the first openly gay NBA player, is reportedly undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. Collins made headlines more than a decade ago when he came out publicly in a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated.
The 41-year-old former center earned All-American honors at Stanford before being drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2001. Over his 13-year career, he played for several NBA teams, including the New Jersey Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets.
Collins currently serves as an NBA Ambassador, helping to promote the league by appearing at events, engaging with fans, and supporting its initiatives.
As reported by the LGBTQ news website Outsports, the NBA shared a statement from Collins’ family on September 11 announcing his diagnosis.
“NBA Ambassador and 13-year NBA veteran Jason Collins is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor,” the statement reads. “Jason and his family welcome your support and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as they dedicate their attention to Jason’s health and well-being.”
The following statement was issued today on behalf of Jason Collins and his family: pic.twitter.com/36lKwB7NiR
Neither the family nor the NBA shared additional details, such as when Collins was diagnosed or what treatment he is receiving.
When Collins came out in 2013, he became only the second active openly gay male athlete in major U.S. professional sports, following Major League Soccer player Robbie Rogers.
“No one wants to live in fear. I’ve always been scared of saying the wrong thing. I don’t sleep well. I never have,” Collins wrote in Sports Illustrated. “But each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly. … I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew. And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time.”
Upon coming out, Collins received support from prominent figures, including President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and former President Bill Clinton. Obama said he “couldn’t be prouder” of him.
Collins, a defensive specialist, finished his career with more than 2,600 points and 2,700 rebounds, helping the Nets reach the NBA Finals. Since retiring, he has advocated for greater LGBTQ inclusion across sports, including supporting an NBA LGBTQ youth clinic held during the men’s NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.
Earlier this year, Collins married his husband, film producer Brunson Green, in a private ceremony in Austin, Texas, according to People magazine.
Justine Lindsay, the NFL's first out transgender cheerleader, recently revealed that she was fired this year, a decision she alleges was motivated by transphobia and Donald Trump's election as president.
"I was cut because I'm trans," Lindsay said in an Instagram Live with Gaye Magazine. "I don't wanna hear nobody saying, 'She didn't wanna come back.' Why the hell would I not wanna come back to an organization that I've been a part of for three years? That makes no sense to me. So I was cut. I was devastated. It stung. I was hurt."
Lindsay, who made history as the NFL's first transgender cheerleader when she tried out and made the Carolina Panthers's TopCats squad in 2022, told the magazine that her teammates "know the truth" about the decision to cut her from the squad.
Jason Collins, the former NBA center who made history in 2013 as the league’s first openly gay active player, has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive, incurable form of brain cancer.
"A few months ago, my family released a short statement saying I had a brain tumor. It was simple, but intentionally vague. They did that to protect my privacy while I was mentally unable to speak for myself and my loved ones were trying to understand what we were dealing with," Collins told ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne in a lengthy statement.
The United States Tennis Association, the national governing body for tennis in the United States, has quietly banned transgender athletes from competing in women's events.
As first reported by independent journalist Marisa Kabas in her newsletter The Handbasket, the USTA revised its "Player Eligibility Policy" page on October 25 with no prior warning or public announcement.
Under the revised policy -- which applies to all sex-specific junior and adult leagues, tournaments, and competitions, whether Olympic, professional, or recreational -- only athletes who meet the USTA's definition of a woman or girl may compete in events designated for women or girls.
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