Jason Collins, first openly gay NBA player, reveals he is battling stage 4 brain cancer

Jason Collins opens up about stage 4 brain cancer, his treatment, and how he’s staying encouraged in his fight. 

After sharing that he was receiving treatment for a brain tumor in September, Jason Collins — the first openly gay NBA player in the league — is shedding more light on his diagnosis.

In an emotional and vivid essay published Thursday, Dec. 11, by ESPN, the 47-year-old former Brooklyn Nets center revealed that he has spent the last several months battling stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Collins opens the essay by explaining that the initial statement released by his family in September was deliberately limited.

“They did that to protect my privacy while I was mentally unable to speak for myself and my loved ones were trying to understand what we were dealing with,” he wrote. “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.”

According to Collins, the first signs appeared in August as he and his husband, film producer Brunson Green, prepared to travel to the U.S. Open. He recalls becoming disoriented and unfocused — so much so that they missed their flight. By the time he underwent a CT scan, Collins said doctors compared his short-term memory to Dory from “Finding Nemo,” noting that it took the technician less than five minutes to realize something was seriously wrong.

“Over the next few weeks we would find out just how bad it was,” he wrote.

Collins explained that while a biopsy was required to formally diagnose the tumor as a glioblastoma, imaging had already raised alarm. The tumor appeared in a “butterfly” shape, spanning both hemispheres of his brain — a presentation that is almost always associated with glioblastoma and makes full surgical removal impossible without significant neurological consequences. 

The biopsy revealed a growth factor of 30 percent, meaning that without immediate treatment, the tumor could have grown rapidly enough to become fatal within weeks. Collins began radiation soon after and, by October, was walking again.

He also detailed what makes the cancer particularly dangerous: its ability to continue growing within the confined space of the skull, and its location near the frontal lobe — the part of the brain responsible for personality, decision-making, and identity.

Despite the severity of the diagnosis, Collins writes that he has approached the situation with remarkable composure, crediting both his mindset as an athlete and his life as a trailblazer.

“As an athlete, you learn not to panic in moments like this. These are the cards I’ve been dealt,” he wrote. “To me it’s like, ‘Shut up and go play against Shaq.’ You want the challenge? This is the challenge. And there is no bigger challenge in basketball than going up against prime Shaquille O’Neal, and I’ve done that.”

Collins, who played 13 seasons in the NBA with several teams, including the Timberwolves, Celtics, and Wizards, famously came out publicly in 2013, becoming the first openly gay player in NBA history. He has remained a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility ever since. Despite this year’s medical challenges, he also experienced profound personal joy, marrying Green in May.