NBA's First Openly Gay Player Jason Collins Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

A few months ago, the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay basketball player in NBA history, broke the news that he’d suffered a medical hardship they’d only identify as a brain tumor.

“They did that to protect my privacy while I was mentally unable to speak for myself, and my loved ones were trying to understand what we were dealing with,” he writes.

Now, in speaking to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the 47-year-old is ready to reveal the details of his health. 

“I have Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. It came on incredibly fast,” he said.

Collins explains how the diagnosis came about after his wedding to husband Brunson Green. The two were traveling to the U.S. Open a few months later, and he missed his flight because he couldn’t focus on packing, among other “weird symptoms” he’d been feeling for a “week or two.”

After he underwent testing, the glioblastoma was detected, and medical intervention was required.

“The biopsy revealed that my glio had a growth factor of 30%, meaning that within a matter of weeks, if nothing were to be done, the tumor would run out of room and I’d probably be dead within six weeks to three months,” he added.

While in the hospital, he was in a fog, unable to move, and watching Korean soap operas, and “sending very weird text messages” until he was eventually released and began taking a drug called Avastin.

In addition to medication, he’s undergoing clinical treatment in Singapore in hopes that he can fight the tumor growth long enough for a personalized immunotherapy to be developed for him. Still, his tumor is inoperable, and doctors estimate he’s got about 11 to 14 months to live.

“If that’s all the time I have left, I’d rather spend it trying a course of treatment that might one day be a new standard of care for everyone,” he writes.

Despite the tough spot he’s in, he urges people not to underestimate him.

See social media’s well-wishes for Collins below.