Jason Collins

Jason Paul Collins was born on December 2, 1978, in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the Northridge neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. He was born eight minutes before his twin brother, Jarron, who also went on to play in the NBA. His parents are Paul and Portia Collins.

The twins played together at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, winning two California Interscholastic Federation state championships with a combined four-year record of 123 wins and 10 losses. Jason broke the California career rebounding record with 1,500 rebounds. His backup at Harvard-Westlake was the future actor Jason Segel.

Collins graduated from Harvard-Westlake School and enrolled at Stanford University with Jarron in 1997. He injured his knee one game into his freshman season, the year Stanford reached the Final Four, and played only eight games in his first two seasons. As a junior in 1999 to 2000 he averaged 8.3 points and 6.1 rebounds as Stanford shared the Pac-10 title and earned a No. 1 seed.

As a senior in 2000 to 2001 he averaged 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds, was named first team All-Pac-10 and a third team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and helped Stanford win the Pac-10 and reach the Elite Eight. He finished first in Stanford history in career field goal percentage (.608) and third in blocked shots. At Stanford his roommate was Joe Kennedy III, later a U.S. congressman.

The Houston Rockets selected Collins 18th overall in the 2001 NBA draft, and he joined the New Jersey Nets on draft night, June 27, 2001. As a rookie he helped the Nets reach the 2002 NBA Finals, and in 2002 to 2003 he became their starting center as they returned to the Finals. He signed a five-year, 25 million dollar extension before the 2004 to 2005 season.

On February 4, 2008, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, and on June 26, 2008, he was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the eight-player deal involving Kevin Love and O. J. Mayo. He signed with the Atlanta Hawks on September 2, 2009, and in the 2011 playoffs Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy called his work against Dwight Howard the best defense on Howard all year. He joined the Boston Celtics on July 31, 2012, and was traded to the Washington Wizards on February 21, 2013.

After coming out in April 2013, he went unsigned until February 23, 2014, when the Brooklyn Nets gave him a 10-day contract. He played 22 games for Brooklyn that season and announced his retirement on November 19, 2014, after 13 NBA seasons. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds for his career, but was valued for post defense, screening, rebounding position and leadership. His teams made nine playoff trips and two NBA Finals.

On April 29, 2013, Sports Illustrated posted a first-person cover story Collins wrote with journalist Franz Lidz for its May 6 issue, in which he came out as gay. He said he was moved to speak after his former Stanford roommate, Joe Kennedy III, marched in the 2012 Boston Pride parade while Collins himself remained closeted. He explained that his jersey number, 98, honored Matthew Shepard, murdered in 1998.

The reaction was overwhelmingly supportive. Kobe Bryant, David Stern, Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton and his sponsor Nike praised him, and Martina Navratilova called him a game changer. ESPN analyst Chris Broussard questioned whether he could live openly and be a Christian; Collins, a Christian, replied that the country allowed everyone their opinions but he did not agree. The SI story drew a record 3.7 million visitors to SI.com in a day. He later told the story to Oprah Winfrey on Oprah's Next Chapter, including how he came out to Jarron and to his parents.

Collins was in an eight-year relationship with former WNBA center Carolyn Moos, and the two were engaged before he called off the wedding in 2009. In January 2014 it was reported that he was dating film producer Brunson Green, a producer of The Help. The couple married in an intimate outdoor ceremony in Austin, Texas, in May 2025, after about a decade together; guests included Octavia Spencer and his former Nets teammate Richard Jefferson.

He remained extremely close to his twin, Jarron, his teammate at Harvard-Westlake and Stanford, who also played in the NBA and later became an NBA assistant coach. Jarron's children called him Tio Jason. Collins lived in Los Angeles and was a keen fan of tennis, college football and Star Trek.

Collins described himself as a Christian and said his faith and his sexuality were not in conflict. After coming out, he spoke widely about inclusion in sport, working with the NBA as an NBA Cares ambassador and a global ambassador for basketball, and supporting LGBTQ youth causes. Proceeds from sales of his number 98 jersey in 2014 went to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and GLSEN. He also used his platform to support political causes and candidates, and in his final months he spoke publicly about glioblastoma to raise awareness and help other patients.

Collins is remembered as a pioneer who opened the door for openly gay athletes in men's team sports. The Guardian called his announcement significant because professional sports had long been seen as the final frontier for LGBTQ acceptance, and The New York Times called his 2014 Brooklyn signing perhaps basketball's most celebrated and scrutinized 10-day contract. Adam Silver said he helped make the NBA, WNBA and wider sports community more inclusive for future generations. NBA referee Billy Kennedy, who came out in 2015, said Collins inspired countless people to live authentically, including himself.

Third team All-American (NABC) and first team All-Pac-10, 2001. Inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame in its first class, August 2, 2013. Named to the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world, 2014, appearing on a cover of the issue. Guest of First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2014 State of the Union. Inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award, Green Sports Alliance, May 2026. Posthumous tribute from the Tower Cancer Research Foundation at its Tower of Hope Gala, June 2026. Glenn Burke Award, LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame, 2026. Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYS, July 15, 2026 (posthumous).

Collins's coming out was told in his own words in Sports Illustrated (April 29, 2013), followed by interviews with Good Morning America, Oprah Winfrey on Oprah's Next Chapter, and many others. In 2019 he recounted his State of the Union visit and advice from President Obama on WBUR's Only A Game. In late 2025 he gave ESPN a lengthy interview and wrote a first-person ESPN essay about his Stage 4 glioblastoma diagnosis. ESPN's tribute film at the 2026 ESPYS featured Jarron and his family.

In August 2025, about three months after his wedding, Collins began to have trouble focusing while packing for a trip to the U.S. Open. Within hours his mental clarity, short-term memory and comprehension faded. On September 11, 2025, the NBA released a family statement saying he was being treated for a brain tumor, and in December 2025 he revealed he had Stage 4 glioblastoma. Doctors had told him he might have six weeks to three months without treatment. He chose an aggressive plan that included experimental treatment in Singapore, which let him return home, attend NBA All-Star Weekend events in Los Angeles and see a game at Stanford.

The cancer returned in the spring of 2026, and he died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on May 12, 2026, surrounded by his family, aged 47. His family said he "changed lives in unexpected ways." Teams held moments of silence, and the Nets, Celtics, Hawks, Wizards, Stanford and the players' union issued tributes. His resting place has not been made public.