Jason Collins — a 13-year NBA veteran and the league’s first openly gay active player — has revealed he is now facing Stage 4 brain cancer.
The former center shared the news in an open letter published by ESPN, explaining that doctors diagnosed him with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer known for its fast growth and limited treatment options.
Collins said the diagnosis followed a period where he struggled with focus, short-term memory, and basic daily tasks. After undergoing a CT scan at UCLA, doctors identified the tumor pressing into his frontal lobe.
“What makes glioblastoma so dangerous is that it grows within a very finite, contained space — the skull — and it's very aggressive and can expand,” Collins wrote.
He added that the tumor’s location, “encroaching upon the frontal lobe,” poses unique challenges because that region governs core functions tied to personality and decision-making.
According to the Mayo Clinic, glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor, developing from the brain’s glial cells and classified as a Grade IV cancer.
Symptoms often include worsening headaches, cognitive changes, seizures, and vision issues. Because the tumor spreads into surrounding brain tissue, complete surgical removal is rarely possible, and treatments typically focus on slowing progression rather than curing the disease.
The NBA had previously announced in September that Collins was receiving treatment for a brain tumor, but details at the time were intentionally limited. Collins explained that he and his family wanted space while he processed the diagnosis.
He now says he chose to speak publicly because visibility might help others navigate similar circumstances. “I have cancer, but just like my grandmother fought it, I’m going to fight it,” he said, recalling her own battle with Stage 4 stomach cancer.
Collins is currently undergoing radiation therapy to delay tumor growth and receiving targeted chemotherapy in Singapore designed to address the specific characteristics of his cancer.
“The goal is to keep fighting the progress of the tumors long enough for a personalized immunotherapy to be made for me,” he wrote, noting that the timeline depends on how his body responds to these treatments.
Collins’ impact on the league extended far beyond his stat line. When he came out in 2013, he shifted the cultural landscape of men’s professional sports. Now, he hopes his transparency will once again offer support to people he may never meet.
“If I can do that again now,” he wrote, “then that matters.”