Former NBA center Jason Collins, whose decision to come out publicly reshaped the conversation around sexuality in professional sports, has died at 47 after a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

His family said Collins endured a “valiant fight” against the inoperable tumour, which he once described as “a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of my brain.” He had undergone targeted chemotherapy, Avastin treatment and specialist care overseas in an effort to slow the disease’s rapid progression.

Collins’ death prompted tributes from across basketball and beyond, reflecting a legacy that far exceeded his on-court statistics. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins helped make the NBA, WNBA and the wider sports world “more inclusive and welcoming for future generations,” praising him as a barrier-breaker whose kindness and humanity matched his courage.

In 2013, Collins became the first active male athlete in a major American professional team sport to publicly come out as gay, writing about his decision in a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated. At the time a free agent, he acknowledged the risk that his announcement might end his career. Instead, he returned to the league with the Brooklyn Nets, the franchise that had drafted him and where he closed his 13-season tenure.

On the court, Collins was known as a rugged, intelligent defender and unselfish teammate. He played for six NBA teams, including the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics, earning respect as a reliable role player and steady locker-room presence. The Nets said they were “heartbroken” by his death, calling him a “genuinely kind, thoughtful person” whose authenticity “helped move the game—and the world—forward.”

Off the court, Collins became a prominent advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in sports and public life. Named to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people, he spoke at the Democratic National Convention and worked with advocacy groups to support young athletes navigating questions of identity and acceptance.

Former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, who guided Collins during his standout college career, called him one of the university’s great players and said his passing marked a sad day for basketball.

Jason Collins is being remembered as a trailblazer whose openness, resilience and quiet leadership changed what was possible for LGBTQ athletes on the world’s biggest stages.