Jason Collins, First Openly Gay NBA Player And A CA Native, Dead At 47

Jason Collins, the first NBA player to be openly gay, has died after a monthslong battle with an aggressive brain tumor. He was 47.

His family announced the death in a statement shared Tuesday by the NBA.

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“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” the statement said.

“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar.”

Collins spent 13 years as a player in the league for six different franchises. He revealed in 2013 that he was gay, an announcement that came toward the end of his playing career.

“Jason Collins’ impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Tuesday.

“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.”

Collins was born in Northridge, according to ESPN. He made nearly 61 percent of his shots in his career at Stanford, which remains a school record.

“It’s a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program’s greats," former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said.

"The impact he had on Stanford was immense, as he could match up against anyone in the country because he was big, smart, strong and skilled, all while being a very bright and nice person.”

Collins later helped the New Jersey Nets reach two NBA Finals and in his best season averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for them in 2004-05.

Just last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him.

Jason Collins revealed his sexuality in a first-person account for Sports Illustrated in April 2013. He was a free agent at the time, said he wanted to keep playing, and went on to play in 22 games with Brooklyn the following season.

“If I had my way, someone else would have already done this,” he wrote at that time. “Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”

At Stanford, Collins was roommates with Joe Kennedy III, who spent eight years in Congress representing Massachusetts.

Collins, in the piece for Sports Illustrated, wrote that he realized he needed to go public about his sexuality when Kennedy walked in Boston’s gay pride parade in 2012 — but Collins couldn’t do the same.

He wore jersey No. 98 for the majority of his final three playing stints with Boston, Washington and Brooklyn — a nod to the year that Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming, was killed.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.