Jason Paul Collins (December 2, 1978 – May 12, 2026) was an American basketball player. He was a center for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Collins was openly gay during the final years of his career which made him the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American pro sports leagues and the first openly gay basketball player in the NBA.[1]
 Collins with the Nets in March 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1978 Northridge, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 12, 2026 (aged 47) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles, California) |
| College | Stanford (1997–2001) |
| NBA draft | 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall |
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | |
| Playing career | 2001–2014 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 34, 35, 98 |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2008 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2008 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2008–2009 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2009–2012 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2012–2013 | Boston Celtics |
| 2013 | Washington Wizards |
| 2014 | Brooklyn Nets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,621 (3.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,706 (3.7 rpg) |
| Blocks | 359 (0.5 bpg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
College
changeCollins played college basketball for Stanford University and was named to the All-Pac-10 first team in 2001.
NBA career
changeHe was drafted by the New Jersey Nets with the 18th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.
He helped the Nets reach the NBA finals in 2001 but they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. He played 7 seasons with the Nets and he was traded with cash considerations to the Memphis Grizzlies for Stromile Swift.[2] He played 31 games for the Grizzlies and then he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an eight-player deal involving Kevin Love and O. J. Mayo.[3] When his contract expired at the end of the 2008–09 NBA season, the Timberwolves didn't re-sign him and he signed with the Atlanta Hawks on September 2, 2009.[4] He played 3 seasons with the Hawks and signed an undisclosed deal with the Boston Celtics.[5] He was traded by the Celtics to the Washington Wizards on February 21, 2013 for Jordan Crawford.[6]
After the 2012–13 NBA season concluded, Collins publicly came out as gay.[7] He became a free agent and did not play again until February 2014, when he signed with the Nets. He became the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American pro sports leagues.[1][8] In 2014, Collins was featured on the cover of Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World".[9]
Personal life and death
changeHis twin brother Jarron Collins also played in the NBA. On April 29, 2013, Collins wrote the cover story of Sports Illustrated in which he publicly come out as gay.[10] He became the first active male professional athlete in any of the four major North American pro sports leagues to come out.[11] He said that he chose the jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a victim of a gay hate crime in 1998. Collins said that the number was "a statement to myself, my family and my friends".[10]
In September 2025, Collins was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.[12] He died from the disease on May 12, 2026 at his home in Los Angeles, California at the age of 47.[13][14]
References
change- 1 2 Keh, Andrew (February 23, 2014). "Jason Collins Signs With Nets, Becoming First Openly Gay N.B.A. Player". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Grizzlies acquire center Jason Collins from Nets". Memphis Grizzlies. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
- ↑ "Timberwolves make out on Mayo-Love swap". sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
- ↑ "Free agent Jason Collins joins Hawks". sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
- ↑ "Celtics Sign Jason Collins". Boston Celtics. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
- ↑ "Wizards Acquire Collins and Barbosa From Boston". Washington Wizards. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
- ↑ "Jason Collins becomes the first openly gay NBA player". BBC News. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- ↑ Wojnarowski, Adrian; Spears, Marc (February 23, 2014). "Nets sign Jason Collins, NBA's first openly gay player". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014.
- ↑ "Jason Collins featured on cover of Time's Most Influential People". FOX Sports. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014.
- 1 2 "Why NBA center Jason Collins is coming out now". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
- ↑ "NBA player Jason Collins comes out as gay". bbc.co.uk. April 29, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ↑ "Former NBA player Jason Collins undergoing treatment for brain tumor". National Basketball Association. Associated Press. September 11, 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
- ↑ Shelburne, Ramona (May 12, 2026). "Jason Collins, first openly gay NBA player, dies from cancer at 47". ESPN. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "Jason Collins, the first active openly gay NBA player, dies at 47 after brain cancer diagnosis". Yahoo Sports. May 12, 2026. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
Other websites
change- Jason Collins at NBA.com