Jason Collins, a gay trailblazer in the NBA, dies of brain cancer at 47

"“I'm a 34-year-old NBA center,” Mr. Collins wrote in April 2013. “I'm black. And I'm gay.” The statement was both unsentimental and seismic. In a sports culture that had long treated homosexuality in male locker rooms as taboo, Mr. Collins became the first openly gay man on a major professional American team sport. In breaking a barrier that had stood for generations, he transformed from a largely anonymous role player into a historic figure."

"Mr. Collins, who opened the door for other gay athletes and became a prominent advocate for inclusion in sports, died Tuesdayafter a brief battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. His family announced his death in a statement shared by the NBA. The statement did not say where Mr. Collins died. He was 47."

"His 2013 announcement, written in a first-person piece for Sports Illustrated, came two years before the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, and in a sports world where openly gay athletes remained exceedingly rare. Such a moment had long been considered unthinkable, and there was uncertainty - and some apprehension - about how it would be received. But support came quickly from across the league and beyond."

"“Now that Jason Collins has come out, he is the proverbial 'game-changer,'” wrote tennis great Martina Navratilova, who came out publicly in 1981. “One of the last bastions of male locker-room culture has been breached, and it’s about time.”"

Jason Collins spent 13 NBA seasons as a defensive, rebounding, and physical center who accepted difficult, less glamorous roles. In April 2013, he publicly stated, “I’m black. And I’m gay,” becoming the first openly gay man on a major professional American team sport. His announcement shifted him from an overlooked role player to a historic figure and helped open space for other gay athletes. Support arrived quickly across the league and beyond, including calls from President Barack Obama and TV host Oprah Winfrey and praise from NBA Commissioner David Stern. Collins later became a prominent advocate for inclusion in sports and died at 47 after a brief battle with glioblastoma.

Read at The Washington Post