Featured Image Credit: ESPN and jasoncollins_98 via Instagram
Topics: NBA, Basketball
James Taylor
The Brooklyn Nets have issued a statement after the NBA's first openly gay player, Jason Collins, said he may have just a year left to live.
Collins played as a centre in the NBA for 13 years, after being drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2001.
He went on to represent several franchises, including the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, before finishing his career with the Brooklyn Nets.
At the end of the 2012/13 season, Collins came out as gay in an article he wrote for Sports Illustrated.
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He wrote: “I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.
“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.”
In 2014, Collins made history by becoming the first openly gay athlete to play in a competitive match in a major American professional sports league.
He signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets and entered the game at the start of the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Collins announced his retirement in November 2014.
In September 2025, the NBA issued a statement, provided by Collins' family, confirming that he was receiving treatment for a brain tumour.
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."
Now, in a letter to ESPN, Collins has shared a heart-breaking update.
He said: "A few months ago, my family released a short statement saying I had a brain tumour. It was simple, but intentionally vague.
"But now it's time for people to hear directly from me.
"I have Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. It came on incredibly fast."
Collins went on to explain that because his tumour is unresectable, the average prognosis is only 11 to 14 months.
Since the announcement, tributes have poured in from across the basketball world.
On X, the Brooklyn Nets wrote: "Sending our love and support to @jasoncollins98 and his family," with an accompanying red heart emoji.
In reply to Collins' update on Instagram, several high-profile figures expressed their support.
Three-time WNBA champion Swin Cash simply left a heart emoji.
ESPN's NBA Insider Ramona Shelburne shared a heartfelt message, writing: "I’ve known Jason Collins since we were high school athletes in the San Fernando Valley.
"I watched him lead Stanford to the Final Four, when we were freshman together.
"I was there the night he played as the first openly gay professional athlete for the Brooklyn Nets.
"Now I’m honoured to share his story of resilience in the face of brain cancer…and what he hopes will be an inspiration for others facing terminal diagnoses."