Jason Collins, a 13-year NBA veteran and groundbreaking athlete who came out as gay in 2013, is being treated for a brain tumor, his family said.
The NBA released a statement by Collins’ family on Sept. 11 about the 46-year-old’s health.
“NBA Ambassador and 13-year NBA veteran Jason Collins is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor,” the statement said. “Jason and his family welcome your support and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as they dedicate their attention to Jason’s health and well-being.”
The 7-foot center played for the then-New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008, a span that included a pair of appearances in the NBA Finals. He also played for five other NBA teams before he returned to the Nets, this time in Brooklyn, in 2014 to finish his career.
The Nets shared a message for Collins on Instagram on Sept. 11.
“Sending our love and support to @jasoncollins_98 and his family,” the team wrote, adding a heart emoji.
In 2013, Collins came out as gay in a story by Sports Illustrated, making him the first active openly gay player in any of the four major American sports leagues.
“I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport,” he wrote in a first-person essay for SI. “But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”
Collins was a standout at Stanford, where he starred alongside his twin brother, Jarron Collins, who played for a decade in the NBA. Jarron Collins, who is now an assistant for the New Orleans Pelicans, shared the family’s statement about his brother on Instagram on Sept. 11.
