The NBA announced former veteran center Jason Collins has passed away at the age of 47. The league released a statement on behalf of Collins’s family, who spent 13 seasons in the NBA.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” the NBA said in a statement Tuesday.
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“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
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On April 29, 2013, Collins became the league’s first active athlete in North American sports to come out as gay. He was a first-round draft pick in 2001 and an All-Pac 10 player at Stanford. Collins was drafted by the Houston Rockets and then traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He was on the latter’s two NBA Finals teams in 2002 and 2003.
His twin brother, Jarron, is an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.
This story will be updated.