Jason Collins, the first active NBA player to come out publicly as a gay man, has died at the age of 47

I’ve been reading so many heartfelt tributes tonight to retired NBA player Jason Collins who died today at just 47. It’s such very sad news and is being felt by many in the LGBTQ community and beyond.

He made history when he wrote in Sports Illustrated in 2013: “I’m a 34-year-old N.B.A. center. I’m Black and I’m gay.”

I was working full-time for Gay Star News then and Jason’s groundbreaking story was such huge news. Was so glad to be on hand when he spoke at the NLGJA – The Association of LGBTQ Journalists national convention in Chicago in 2014, when he was honored by the LA City Council during Pride Month that same year with his proud parents present, and when he appeared at other events after retiring from the league.

His family released a statement saying, “We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma. Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. 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.” 

In an essay last December for ESPN in which he revealed his glioblastoma diagnosis, Collins recalled his announcement from more than a decade earlier.

“I got to tell my own story, the way I wanted to. And now I can honestly say, the past 12 years since have been the best of my life,” he wrote. “Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self, unafraid to be your true self, in public or private.”

Below are some of the photos I took of Jason and, thankfully, I have one with him when our blue shirts happened to match which made us laugh: