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NEW YORK
Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who went on to grow to be a pioneer for inclusion and an envoy for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive type of a brain tumor, his household introduced Tuesday.
Collins spent 13 years as a participant within the league for six totally different franchises. He revealed in 2013 that he was gay, an announcement that got here towards the tip of his taking part in profession.
Collins had been identified with Stage 4 glioblastoma, which has an especially low survival fee. He was 47.
“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar,” Collins’ household stated in an announcement launched by the NBA. “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.”
Just final week, Collins acquired the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ailing to attend and his twin brother, former NBA participant Jarron Collins, accepted for him.
“I told my brother this before I came here: He’s the bravest, strongest man I’ve ever known,” Jarron Collins stated whereas accepting that award.
Jason Collins averaged 3.6 factors and three.7 rebounds in his profession. He helped the New Jersey Nets attain two NBA Finals and in his greatest season averaged 6.4 factors and 6.1 rebounds for them in 2004-05.
“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,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated. “He exemplified excellent management and professionalism all through his 13-year NBA profession and in his devoted work as an NBA Cares Ambassador. Jason shall be remembered not just for breaking boundaries, but in addition for the kindness and humanity that outlined his life and touched so many others.
“On behalf of the NBA, I send my heartfelt condolences to Jason’s husband, Brunson, and his family, friends and colleagues across our leagues.”
Jason Collins revealed his sexuality in a first-person account for Sports Illustrated in April 2013. He was a free agent at the time, stated he wished to maintain taking part in, and went on to play in 22 video games with Brooklyn the next season.
“If I had my way, someone else would have already done this,” he wrote at that point. “Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”
His determination was extensively lauded, with star gamers akin to Kobe Bryant shortly talking out in assist of Collins. There was even assist from the White House and then-former President Bill Clinton — whose daughter, Chelsea, went to Stanford with Collins. At Stanford, Collins was roommates with somebody who was half of one other American political dynasty, that being Joe Kennedy III, who spent eight years in Congress representing Massachusetts.
Collins, within the piece for Sports Illustrated, wrote that he realized he wanted to go public about his sexuality when Kennedy walked in Boston’s gay delight parade in 2012 — however Collins couldn’t do the identical.
Until then, Collins saved his emotions about gay rights near the vest. He wore jersey No. 98 for almost all of his ultimate three taking part in stints with Boston, Washington and Brooklyn — a nod to the yr that Matthew Shepard, a gay school pupil in Wyoming, was killed. He additionally wore 46 in a single recreation for the Nets, because it was the one jersey the group had accessible when he signed.
Collins made practically 61% of his photographs in his profession at Stanford, which stays a college document. He was an honorable point out choice for The Associated Press’ All-America group in 2001, a number of months earlier than the Houston Rockets took him with the 18th choose in that yr’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 stated. “We all have nice recollections of Jason and the sort of particular person he was. It’s exhausting to separate Jarron and Jason as a result of they thought so alike, however though he was an an identical twin, Jason was distinctive in his personal approach.
“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.”