Former Stanford men’s basketball star Jason Collins, whose career later made him one of the most significant barrier-breakers in American professional sports, passed away Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. Collins was 47 years old.
Collins’ family announced his death after what they described as a fight with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. The news prompted tributes from many across the basketball community. He’ll be remembered by his peers as both an accomplished NBA veteran and a figure whose public courage had a profound impact off the court.
Collins came out as gay in a first-person Sports Illustrated essay in April 2013, during the back half of his playing career. When he returned to the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets the following season, he became the first openly gay athlete to play in any of the four major American men’s professional leagues. The announcement transformed Collins into a symbol of inclusion. It provided him with a platform after retirement, where he worked as an NBA ambassador and spoke in support of LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports.
Before becoming a national figure, Collins built one of the most decorated careers in Stanford basketball history. Playing alongside his twin brother, Jarron Collins, he led the Cardinal under head coach Mike Montgomery and became one of the program’s most efficient players. Collins finished his Stanford career with a .608 field-goal percentage, which remains the highest mark in Stanford record books. In the 2001 season, he earned third-team All-America honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches, honorable mention All-America recognition from the Associated Press and the Pete Newell NABC Big Man of the Year Award. Collins is the only Stanford player to win this big man award.
Following this season at The Farm, the Houston Rockets selected Collins with the No. 18 pick in the NBA draft before trading him to the New Jersey Nets on draft night. Collins quickly became a key part of a Nets squad that reached back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. Over 13 seasons, Collins played for six franchises, with his time on the Nets and a three-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks being his most notable tenures.
Stanford inducted Collins into its Hall of Fame alongside his brother in 2017. After his death, the Stanford men’s basketball program remembered him as a “trailblazer” for equality and a Hall of Fame player on The Farm.
Montgomery also provided heartfelt thoughts on his former player’s death.
“It’s a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program’s greats,” Montgomery said. “We all have great memories of Jason and the kind of person he was. I’ll miss him dearly, and my heart goes out to the Collins family.”