Jason Collins, the trailblazing athlete who made history as the NBA’s first openly gay player, has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
On 11 September, Collins’ family released a statement confirming that the 46-year-old “is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumour.”
They added: “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.”
Stanford University’s men’s basketball team, where Collins played before going pro, shared their support following the news.
“Sending our love and support to Jason, his husband Brunson, Jarron and the entire Collins family,” the team wrote on X.
Collins came out in 2013 on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active male athlete from one of the four major North American professional sports leagues to do so.
At the time he said: “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 a 2018 interview with PEOPLE, Collins shared that his jersey number, 98, was chosen as a tribute to Matthew Shepard, the gay college student murdered in 1998 for his sexuality.
“I remember being a sophomore in college when Matthew Shepherd was killed,” Collins said.
“Every time I put on that jersey, it was just a silent acknowledgment to myself and to my friends and family — who knew why I was wearing that number — of being a proud gay black man playing in the NBA. Sort of hiding in plain sight.
Collins retired in 2014, the same year he met his future husband, film producer Brunson Green, who earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture with The Help (2011).
The couple married this past May.
Octavia Spencer, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Help, attended the ceremony and later shared a photo, writing: “Welcome to the family @jasoncollins_98. You’ve chosen well, and so has he! Love you, B! #YouCantMakeOldFriends #Austin.”
Our thoughts are with Collins and his loved ones at this time.