As the first active male athlete in a major North American professional sports league to come out as gay, Jason Collins transformed the landscape of modern athletics through a singular act of transparency. Mr. Collins, a 13-season NBA veteran and tireless advocate for inclusion, died on May 12, 2026, at the age of 47.

In his final decades, Mr. Collins defined himself not by the basketball courts he once patrolled, but by a quiet courage that reshaped how athletes live authentically. After retiring, he served as an NBA Cares Ambassador focused on community outreach and inclusion. His commitment to transparency faced its ultimate test in late 2025 when he required experimental medical treatments. Rather than retreat into privacy, he approached his health challenges with the same openness that marked his historic coming out. Supported by his husband, film producer Brunson Green, whom he married in May 2025, Mr. Collins traveled to Singapore to undergo these advanced procedures. He viewed the grueling process not merely as a fight for his own well-being, but as an act of service. "If that's all the time I have left, I'd rather spend it trying a course of treatment that might one day be a new standard of care for everyone," he said. His twin brother, Jarron Collins, called him the bravest and strongest man he had ever known. This final chapter of advocacy earned him the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit, a posthumous honor recognizing his lifelong dedication to others, as reported by WRAL.

The foundation for this selfless final act was laid years earlier in the public eye. Born in Northridge, California, to Portia and Paul Collins, he and Jarron became standout athletes at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. The brothers went on to play college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, leading the team to the Final Four in 1998 and the Elite Eight in 2001. Selected 18th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, Mr. Collins embarked on a 13-season career as a reliable, hard-working center across six different franchises. Yet his most significant contribution to the sport arrived in 2013. In a milestone essay, he declared, "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay." The announcement made him a global icon, landing him on the cover of Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. When he returned to the court, he chose to wear jersey number 98. The number served as a deliberate tribute to Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered in 1998, cementing Mr. Collins's belief that his platform belonged to a broader movement for equality.

Throughout his life, Mr. Collins maintained that visibility was a powerful tool for change. "Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self," he told The Guardian during his medical treatments in Singapore. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted that his influence extended far beyond basketball, making the larger sports community more welcoming for future generations. Mr. Collins passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members. He is survived by his husband, Brunson Green, his parents, Portia and Paul, and his brother, Jarron. He leaves behind a legacy defined by an unwavering commitment to truth, proving that the most profound victories in sports often occur far from the arena, forged by those willing to stand visibly and unapologetically for who they are.