Trailblazing NBA star Jason Collins shares devastating health update amid brain cancer battle
"One of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. It came on incredibly fast," revealed Collins
By Aaron Sugg
Jason Collins, former NBA player and the first openly gay active male basketball player, shared an emotional health update last week after being diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma.
Collins first discovered he had a brain tumour earlier this year. The diagnosis was later announced by his family in a statement released in September, though he has now confirmed that the condition has worsened.
He revealed the diagnosis in an op-ed for ESPN, saying he wanted people to hear directly from him. In the piece, he said doctors told him he would likely die within three months without treatment.
“One of the deadliest forms of brain cancer” – Jason Collins giving an update on his brain cancer battle
“I have stage four glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. It came on incredibly fast,” Collins wrote, revealing that he had been struggling with “weird symptoms” for weeks in August this year.
“I was in the CT machine at UCLA for all of five minutes before the technician pulled me out and said they were going to have me see a specialist,” he continued.
Glioblastoma is the most common and deadliest form of malignant brain tumour in adults, known for it’s aggressive and fast-growing nature.
The cancer caused him to experience problems with focus, memory and mental clarity, including missing a flight with his husband, Brunson Green, because he was unable to pack.
He described his cancer diagnosis as “dangerous” and “aggressive”
Collins married his husband, film producer Brunson Green, in May 2025 in an intimate ceremony in Austin, Texas after being together for nearly a decade.
He compared the change in his mental state to an NBA player’s version of Dory from Disney’s Finding Nemo. He explained that his brain cancer is extremely “dangerous” and “aggressive”, making treatment particularly challenging.
Collins compares facing cancer treatment to the challenges he faced in basketball: “This is the challenge. And there is no bigger challenge in basketball than going up against prime Shaquille O’Neal, and I’ve done that,” he said.
“I can honestly say the past 12 years since have been the best of my life” – Collins on life since he came out as gay in 2013
He also compared speaking publicly about his health to when he made history in 2013 as the first openly gay active basketball player, a decision he recalls fondly. “I can honestly say the past 12 years since have been the best of my life,” he said.
He is currently undergoing treatment with Avastin and targeted chemotherapy in Singapore to slow the tumour’s growth.
Collins played 13 seasons in the NBA for six teams and retired in 2014, and was named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People list in 2014, after coming out the year prior.
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