Background and career
Jason Paul Collins (December 2, 1978 – May 12, 2026) was an American professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, earning third-team All-American honors in 2001. Collins was selected by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft with the 18th overall pick. He went on to play for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets. After the 2012–13 NBA season concluded, Collins publicly came out as gay. He became a free agent and did not play again until February 2014, when he signed with the Nets and became the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American pro sports leagues. In 2014, Collins was featured on the cover of Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World". He died of glioblastoma on May 12, 2026, at the age of 47.
Collins was born in Los Angeles, California, in the Northridge neighborhood. He was born eight minutes ahead of his twin brother, Jarron, who also became an NBA player. Both brothers graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. He and Jarron won two California Interscholastic Federation state titles during their four-year careers with a combined record of 123–10. Collins broke the California career rebounding record with 1,500. Collins was backed up by future actor Jason Segel, who USA Today opined might have ended up being the most famous player from the team.
Collins played at Stanford University with brother Jarron for the Cardinal in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). As a freshman in 1997–98, Collins played just one game before injuring his knee and missing the rest of the season. Stanford advanced to the Final Four that season for the first time since 1942. After playing only eight games in his first two seasons, Collins appeared in 31 games, starting in 11, as a junior in 1999–2000. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.1 rebounds to help the Cardinal tie for a Pac-10 title and earn a No. 1 seed in the 2000 NCAA tournament. As a senior in 2000–01, Collins averaged 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds. He was named to the All-Pac-10 first team, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) voted him to their third-team All-American team. Stanford won the Pac-10 championship and reached the Elite Eight in the 2001 NCAA tournament. He finished his college career ranked first in Stanford history for field goal percentage (.608) and third in blocked shots (89).
As a rookie along with Richard Jefferson, Collins played a significant role in the New Jersey Nets' first-ever NBA Finals berth in 2002 against the Los Angeles Lakers. During this Finals appearance, Collins acknowledged that he is not really 7 feet tall as he has been listed since his junior year of college. He was measured 6 ft 10¼ in at the 2001 NBA combine. In the 2002–03 NBA season Collins took over the starting center role for the Nets and helped the franchise back to the NBA Finals. During that season, Collins averaged 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Prior to the 2004–05 season, he signed a $25 million contract extension with New Jersey for five more years.
On February 4, 2008, Collins was traded along with cash considerations to the Memphis Grizzlies for Stromile Swift.
On June 26, 2008, Collins was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an eight-player deal involving Kevin Love and O. J. Mayo.
