Jason Collins remembered as trailblazer, beloved friend at 47

Jason Collings, the NBA’s first openly gay player, died May 12 after an eight-month battle with stage 4 glioblastoma. He was 47.  

Collins made history in April 2013 when he came out publicly in a Sports Illustrated essay, becoming the first openly gay active athlete in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues. The 13-year NBA veteran played for six franchises and later became an NBA Cares Ambassador.  

Survived by his husband, Brunson Green, his parents, his twin brother Jarron, tributes to Collins poured in from basketball and beyond.  

That included the Human Rights Campaign.

"To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today," said HRC president Kelley Robinson. "He came out as gay -- while still playing -- at a time when men's athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his pot-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed th conversation. He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47. Out hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was among the first to pay tribute, praising Collins for his impact both on and off the court.

Collins was drafted 18th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, but immediate traded to the Nets, who remembered him on May 12.

Jason Kidd was teammates and then coached Collins.

Collins played just part of the 2012-13 season with the Boston Celtics, but they were the first team to pay tribute to him.

Collins played college basketball at Stanford, earning third-team All-American honors in 2001, and finished his career ranked first in school history in field goal percentage and third in blocked shots.

ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne, who had known Collins since high school, was the reporter he trusted to help tell his story when he went public with his cancer diagnosis in December.

Billie Jean King, who had texted Collins when he made history in 2014, joined him as a fellow honoree of the LBGTQ Sports Hall of Fame's Glenn Burke Award.

Collins played for the Atlanta Hawks from 2009-12.