"Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of a brain tumor, his family announced Tuesday."
"Collins had been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, which has an extremely low survival rate. He was 47."
""Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar," Collins' family said in a statement released through the NBA. "We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.""
"Just last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him. "I told my brother this before I came here: He's the bravest, strongest man I've ever known," Jarron Collins said while accepting that award."
Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player, died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive brain tumor. He was 47 and had been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, a cancer with an extremely low survival rate. Collins spent 13 years in the NBA across six franchises, including the Boston Celtics. He revealed he was gay in 2013 near the end of his playing career. His family credited him with changing lives and expressed gratitude for medical care, love, and prayers. He recently received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award, which his twin brother accepted on his behalf. Collins averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds over his career and helped the New Jersey Nets reach two NBA Finals.
Read at Boston.com
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