Jason Collins Is Undergoing Treatment For A Brain Tumor

On Sept. 11, the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation introduced that Jason Collins, the league’s first overtly homosexual participant who’s now an NBA Ambassador, is in the midst of receiving remedy for a mind tumor through a press launch.

“NBA Ambassador and 13-year veteran Jason Collins is at the moment present process remedy for a mind tumor. Jason and his household welcome your assist and prayers and kindly ask for privateness as they dedicate their consideration to Jason’s well being and well-being,” the assertion learn.

Collins, a former first-round decide within the 2001 NBA draft, had a strong, if unremarkable 13-year-career as a middle, his most exceptional feat whereas he performed within the NBA, was his public popping out through a 2013 Sports activities Illustrated article. The next yr, after he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in free company, Collins turned the primary overtly homosexual athlete to play a sport in both the NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL, the 4 main American sports activities.

Notably, additionally in 2013, Brittney Griner turned the primary overtly homosexual WNBA participant to be drafted out of school when the Phoenix Mercury drafted her with the primary total decide. Griner performed at Baylor College, a Baptist affiliated non-public college. On the time, she famous in an interview with ESPN, that the setting for ladies who come out is drastically totally different than it’s for males.

In a 2023 interview with The Athletic, Collins famous that there stays a necessity for male athletes who’re homosexual to come back out, as a result of it normalizes and humanizes homosexual individuals, specifically, homosexual males, who’re nonetheless usually targets of hatred.

“We want increasingly more male athletes to step ahead in order that we will get to that day when, after the sport is over, everybody’s vital different is within the household room ready for them together with everyone else’s, no matter gender,” Collins informed the outlet.

In 2021, when then-Las Vegas Raiders defensive finish Carl Nassib turned the primary lively overtly homosexual NFL participant, Collins remarked to The Los Angeles Occasions that Nassib’s determination would have an effect on individuals who he won’t ever meet.

“He’s going to have a optimistic influence on another person’s life that he might by no means meet in his lifetime. I’ve met many individuals who’ve come as much as me and informed me how my story has impacted them. However he’s going to search out that his actions have impressed not solely people who find themselves youthful than him however older than him. I can’t inform you the quantity of people that have been a long time older than me who got here as much as me and stated how my story impacted them. You don’t know what to say. You’re nonetheless in that mindset of being an athlete and serving to youngsters. However he’s serving to individuals throughout the board, of all ages,” Collins stated.

To that finish, over his final two seasons, 2012-2014, throughout which period he performed for 3 groups, the Boston Celtics, the Washington Wizards, and the aforementioned Nets, he wore quantity 98 in tribute to former College of Wyoming pupil Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 homicide helped create state and federal hate crime legal guidelines geared toward prosecuting individuals who focused homosexual individuals with violence. That jersey was one of many prime sellers within the league on the time, and has since been despatched to the Smithsonian Establishment.

The Stanford College males’s basketball program, the place Collins spent his school years earlier than getting into the draft, despatched their love and assist to Collins and his household through a put up to its Twitter (X) account, as did the final workforce Collins performed for, the Brooklyn Nets.