Former NBA Player Jason Collins Undergoing Treatment For Brain Tumor

Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who now serves as an ambassador for the league, is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor, his family announced Thursday.

“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,” Collins’ family said in a statement released by the NBA.

The following statement was issued today on behalf of Jason Collins and his family: pic.twitter.com/36lKwB7NiR

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) September 11, 2025

Collins was selected 18th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2001 NBA draft out of Stanford University and was then immediately traded to the New Jersey Nets.

“Sending our love and support to @jasoncollins98 and his family,” the Nets posted on social media.

Jason Collins Played 13 Years In The NBA

Collins, a former 7-foot center, played in 735 career games (477 starts) with the Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards.

He recorded career averages of 3.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 20.4 minutes per game while shooting 41.1% from the field and 64.7% from the foul line over the course of his professional career.

In February 2014, Collins signed a 10-day contract with the Nets after spending the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the franchise. He announced his retirement months later in November 2014.

According to Chris Bengel of CBS Sports, Collins chose to wear No. 98 with the Celtics, Wizards, and Nets to honor Matthew Shepard, a gay man whose 1998 murder led to the enactment of federal hate crime legislation.

Collins Came Out In April 2013

Collins came out in a Sports Illustrated article in April 2013, becoming the first active, openly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American sports leagues.

“When I was younger, I dated women,” he wrote in the essay. “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 was in an eight-year relationship with former WNBA center Carolyn Moos, but Collins called off the wedding in 2009. It was reportedly because of personal struggles with his own acceptance of his sexuality.

Since June 2014, Collins has been in a relationship with film producer Brunson Green. The pair got engaged in 2023 during Pride Night at a Los Angeles Lakers game.

In May 2025, the couple married over the Memorial Day weekend in a ceremony in Austin, Texas. The ceremony was attended by family and friends, including longtime teammate Richard Jefferson.