On and off the court, Jason Collins has left behind a legacy to be proud of. In 2013, via an essay for Sports Illustrated, he shattered barriers by becoming the first active NBA player to come out. Collins didn’t just change the game for basketball; he was the first out gay player in a major North American sports league.
Even before publicly coming out, Collins wore a jersey printed with the number 98, a reference to the year Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was killed in a hate crime. When he played for the Brooklyn Nets in 2014 as an out player, proceeds from his jersey sales benefited GLSEN and the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
The California native’s advocacy didn’t end with his retirement. Collins worked to raise LGBTQ+ awareness as an NBA Cares Ambassador and a partner with nonprofits like the Human Rights Campaign, You Can Play, and the Trevor Project. In 2020, he even made a cameo on Love, Victor to represent LGBTQ+ athletes on the groundbreaking TV show about a gay teen.
Collins died in May at the age of 47 after a fight with brain cancer. He is survived by his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins; parents Portia and Paul Collins; and his husband, Brunson Green.
