Jason Collins Got To Tell His Own Story

Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in the NBA, has died of brain cancer, his family announced on Tuesday. He was 47. Last year, Collins was diagnosed with a brain tumor and later revealed that it was Stage 4 glioblastoma, a particularly deadly form. As Collins told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in an article published this past December, he went to Singapore for experimental treatment to try and extend his life. "The goal is to keep fighting the progress of the tumors long enough for a personalized immunotherapy to be made for me, and to keep me healthy enough to receive that immunotherapy once it's ready," he said. The treatment allowed him to return to the United States and make some public appearances, but the cancer returned and worsened. He died at his home in Los Angeles. Collins played for 13 seasons in the NBA, a successful career by any standards, but became better known for what he did toward the end of his professional basketball run. In 2013, after the end of the regular season, he came out in an article published by Sports Illustrated, and became the first openly gay active athlete in one of the four major American men's pro sports leagues. He was unsigned during the 2013–14 season until the Brooklyn Nets offered him a 10-day contract, and he entered his first game since his announcement on Feb. 23, 2014. He finished out the season with the Nets, then retired in November of that year.