Jason Collins, a longtime NBA center who became the first man to come out as openly gay while playing in any of America\u2019s four leading professional sports leagues, died Tuesday following months of treatment for glioblastoma, his family said. He was 47.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NBA announced Collins\u2019s death in a statement issued on behalf of his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar,\u201d the statement said. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2013, Collins made history through an essay in Sports Illustrated. He had been mulling whether to go public since 2011, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m a 34-year-old NBA center. I\u2019m black. And I\u2019m gay,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His decision was widely praised inside and outside the NBA. Then-President Barack Obama called him to express his support, and Steve Nash, a two-time NBA MVP, posted his \u201cmaximum respect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collins was a high school star in Southern California alongside his twin, Jarron, before both starred at Stanford. Jason Collins went on to play in the NBA for six teams from 2001 to 2014. In retirement, he had become an ambassador for the league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Human Rights Campaign, the country\u2019s largest LGBTQ civil rights group, called Collins a groundbreaking figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe came out as gay \u2014 while still playing \u2014 at a time when men\u2019s athletes simply did not do that,\u201d HRC president Kelley Robinson said in a statement. \u201cBut as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In September, he announced he was undergoing treatment for an advanced brain tumor. Symptoms had arrived quickly, he told ESPN last year. Last August \u2014 only three months after he married Brunson Greene in Austin, Texas \u2014 Collins began experiencing \u201cweird symptoms\u201d that included him being unable to focus while packing for a trip to the U.S. Open. Collins underwent CT scans, but within \u201chours, my mental clarity, short-term memory and comprehension disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cImagine a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of my brain the width of a baseball,\u201d he added of his glioblastoma diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Tuesday that Collins\u2019 \u201cimpact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations. He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador. Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n