Sports13 May, 20262 min read
Jason Collins Dies At 47 After Glioblastoma Battle, Family Says
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Collins died at 47 after a battle with glioblastoma brain cancer. He was the NBA's first openly gay player and a pioneer for inclusion.
Collins dies at 47
Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player, died at 47 after battling glioblastoma, his family said in a statement on Tuesday. Al Jazeera reported that Collins died after a “valiant fight with glioblastoma,” and said the family described his death as following a battle with the aggressive brain cancer. The BBC said Collins died after a “valiant fight with glioblastoma,” and quoted NBA Commissioner Adam Silver saying, “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
CNN also reported Collins died at 47 after battling an aggressive brain tumor, citing his family’s account of his death. Al Jazeera added that Collins revealed he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumour in September and later disclosed he had stage four glioblastoma.
Legacy and tributes
The NBA’s commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’ impact and influence extended beyond basketball, telling the BBC that he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations. The BBC also quoted Silver saying, “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.” CNN described Collins as “the NBA’s first openly gay player and a prominent champion of inclusion,” and said his family announced he died after battling an aggressive brain tumor.
Al Jazeera said Collins became the first active male athlete in one of North America’s four major professional sports leagues to publicly come out as gay in 2013 and noted he played 13 seasons in the NBA. The Washington Post framed Collins as the first active, openly gay player in the league’s history and said his announcement “changed American sports.”
Cancer treatment and context
The BBC said Collins announced last year that he had been diagnosed with glioblastoma and was undergoing treatment to stop the spread of the inoperable disease. In the BBC’s account of Collins’ own description, he said the brain tumour was like “a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of my brain the width of a baseball”. The BBC reported that Collins was being treated with a drug called Avastin to slow the tumour’s growth and had been travelling to Singapore for a targeted form of chemotherapy.
Al Jazeera said Collins revealed in September that he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumour and later disclosed he had stage four glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. USA Today reported that Collins’ family announced he died after a battle with Stage 4 glioblastoma and quoted the family’s statement that he died after a “valiant fight with glioblastoma.”