Jason Collins, a former NBA center, has passed away at the age of 47, according to the Associated Press, citing his family.
For eight months, Collins had been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma, a disease with an extremely low survival rate.
Collins made his NBA debut in 2001 as the 18th overall pick after graduating from Stanford University. He spent the first six and a half seasons with the New Jersey Nets, then played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and Washington Wizards before returning to the Nets to finish his career in the 2013-2014 season. Over 735 regular-season games, he averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
After retiring, Collins remained actively involved in the league as an ambassador for the NBA Cares program.
In 2013, Collins publicly came out as gay in a Sports Illustrated article, making him the first active athlete in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues to do so.
