Jason Collins, a former NBA player who became the league’s first openly gay active player, has died at age 47, his family announced. Multiple outlets report that Collins died after a battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. BBC News and others say he disclosed in late 2023 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer, and later reporting specifies stage 4 glioblastoma, a fast-growing brain tumor with a low survival rate. Several sources also describe an about eight-month period of treatment and illness before his death. Collins played 13 seasons in the NBA across six franchises, including the Boston Celtics and the New Jersey Nets, according to The Guardian and other summaries. In 2013, near the end of his playing career, he publicly revealed that he was gay, a move widely described as a major milestone for LGBTQ+ visibility in American professional sports. Following his playing days, Collins continued to work as an ambassador for the NBA and a figure associated with inclusion efforts, the outlets note.