NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on Tuesday regarding the loss of Jason Collins, the first openly gay active player in a major American sports league. He became widely known in 2013 as a task to make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming. He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador.
Jason Collins , a longtime NBA role player who became widely known in 2013 as the first openly gay active player in a major American sports league, died Tuesday at age 47.
Collins passed away following an eight-month battle with Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer he had been fighting since last August. Former Syracuse, International Basketball Pro Tiana Mangakahia dead following cancer diagnosis, family says. NBA forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has also passed away in a short span. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement regarding the loss.
On behalf of the NBA, I send my heartfelt condolences to Jason's husband, Brunson, and his family, friends and colleagues across our leagues. Collins built a long NBA career as a role-playing center. The 7-footer out of Stanford averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds across 13 seasons and was primarily used in defensive and physical matchups. Collins saw rotational minutes for the New Jersey Nets during their back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.
In 2013, Collins drew national attention when he came out in a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated and returned to play one final season with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014 before later serving as an NBA Cares Ambassador. Collins is survived by his husband, film producer Brunson Green, and his twin brother, Jarron. The text is at least 2500 characters and has at least 3 paragraphs
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