The NBA announced that former Brooklyn Nets centerJason Collins has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and will soon begin treatment. The league confirmed the news in an official statement, expressing support for Collins and his family during this difficult time.
NBA Ambassador and 13-year NBA veteran Jason Collins is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor,” the statement read. “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.
Jason and his twin brother, Jarron, played college basketball together at Stanford University before both entered the NBA in 2001.
His decision to come out
For much of his career, Collins kept his sexual orientation private. It wasn’t until 2013, while he was a free agent, that he openly discussed it in an interview with Sports Illustrated, making headlines throughout the sports world.
The following season, his former teammate Jason Kidd, then coaching the Brooklyn Nets, brought him onto the team as the franchise was settling into its new home in Brooklyn.
On February 23, 2014, Collins signed a 10-day contract, making history as the first openly gay player to compete in an NBA game. He remained with the Nets for the rest of that season before officially announcing his retirement in November of the same year.
Collins chose to wear the number 88 jersey, which quickly became one of the most recognized numbers in the league. Later, he revealed that he selected it to honor Matthew Shepard, a college student who shared his sexual orientation and was brutally beaten, tortured, and left for dead near Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998.
Criticism and impact
At the time, some critics accused the Nets of signing Collins merely to generate publicity as the team transitioned to a new market. The organization denied those claims, emphasizing that the decision was based solely on basketball reasons and the value Collins brought to the team.
“Toughness, rebounding the ball, being professional.” “He brings a lot to the table for us.
Kidd said of Collins.
Collins’ courage inspired many LGBTQ fans, who felt represented seeing him compete at the highest level of professional basketball.
There aren’t just cracks in the dam,” said Jared Max, a prominent gay sports personality in the New York area. “There are places where water is flowing right through.
The news of Collins’ illness comes shortly after his marriage to longtime partner Brunson Green, a 57-year-old Hollywood producer. The couple has been together since 2014, following Collins’ retirement. They became engaged in 2023 during the Los Angeles Lakers Pride Night event.
When I was younger, I dated women.”… “I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue.
Collins said in his groundbreaking 2013 interview.
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