TL;DR

• Former NBA player Jason Collins revealed he has Stage 4 glioblastoma.
• Collins said the tumor grew rapidly and threatened his life within weeks if untreated.
• His early symptoms included confusion, memory loss, and difficulty focusing.
• He is undergoing radiation, Avastin treatment, and cutting-edge targeted chemotherapy in Singapore.
• Collins tied his decision to go public to the same honesty that guided him when he came out as gay.

NBA Pioneer Jason Collins Reveals Stage 4 Brain Cancer, Faces Fiercest Fight Yet

Jason Collins — the man who shattered one of professional sports’ toughest closets — is once again showing the world what courage looks like. The former NBA center, who came out in 2013 as the league’s first openly gay active player, announced he is battling Stage 4 glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer. In a deeply personal statement, Collins said he felt compelled to speak out for the same reason he once shared his truth with the world: “Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self.”

Collins revealed that his diagnosis came fast and hit even faster. Months ago, his family told the public only that he had a brain tumor — a deliberate attempt to protect his privacy as his cognition slipped and his loved ones raced to understand what they were facing. But now, Collins is speaking for himself, explaining that his cancer is “multiforme,” spreading like a monster with tentacles beneath his brain. Doctors warned him that without intervention, he might have had only weeks to live.

A Silent Unraveling — and the Wake-Up Call

Collins said the first signs were subtle: trouble focusing, “weird symptoms,” and an inability to pack for a trip he and his husband, Brunson Green, take every year. He tried to brush it off — “I’m an athlete,” he thought — but the fog worsened until a CT scan triggered emergency red flags. Within hours, he said, his memory and clarity were nearly gone, leaving him behaving like a disoriented version of himself that frightened both doctors and family.

His loved ones later told him he had been watching Korean dramas he couldn’t understand, sending bizarre text messages, and losing interest in tennis — one of his biggest passions. It was the kind of cognitive collapse that made the severity of the diagnosis undeniable.

A Global Search for Treatment

Glioblastoma has no cure, but Collins is refusing to go down without a fight. He began treatment with Avastin, underwent radiation that helped him “come out of the fog,” and now travels to Singapore for targeted chemotherapy delivered through specialized EDVs — tiny molecular “Trojan horses” designed to slip past the blood–brain barrier and attack the cancer directly.

His medical team hopes these treatments will buy time while researchers develop a personalized immunotherapy tailored to his tumor’s unique mutations. It’s an experimental frontier, but for Collins, it represents hope. “My plan is to hit my cancer in ways it’s never been hit,” he said, with the same determined grit he once brought to defending the paint.

And with characteristic humility, he acknowledged the privilege of having the means to pursue cutting-edge care worldwide — and the hope that whatever he learns in this fight might benefit someone else facing the same devastating diagnosis.

A Legacy Bigger Than Basketball

For LGBTQ fans and athletes, Collins has long been more than a player — he’s been a symbol of honesty and possibility. His coming-out story helped reshape the landscape of U.S. sports, showing a new generation that queer athletes belong on every court. Now, as he confronts Stage 4 cancer, that courage takes on an even deeper resonance.

In many ways, this fight mirrors the strength that made him a trailblazer. He publicly faces a disease designed to silence him while asserting the same message he championed a decade ago: truth matters, visibility matters, and showing up as yourself is its own kind of power.

The love and support pouring out for Collins — from fans, teammates, LGBTQ advocates, and across the sports world — reflects that legacy. His battle is far from over, but the world is rallying behind him, hoping for a miracle, inspired once again by a man who has never backed down from a challenge.

Jason Collins changed sports once by coming out. Now, with the same candor and resilience, he’s showing what bravery looks like in the fight of his life.