When did Jason Collins come out? All about partner Brunson Green amid former NBA player’s cancer diagnosis

Former Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins broke the news of his cancer diagnosis on December 11, 2025, as per TODAY.

The 47-year-old NBA star, Collins, announced the unfortunate news on ESPN. Now that Jason Collins has been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, in September 2025, his family, in a statement, informed that he had a tumor in his brain.

Jason Collins, who first came out as gay publicly in 2013, while breaking the news of his Stage 4 glioblastoma diagnosis, told ESPN that:

"A few months ago, my family released a short statement saying I had a brain tumor. It was simple, but intentionally vague. 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."

Collins went ahead and said:

"But now it’s time for people to hear directly from me. I have Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. It came on incredibly fast."

He added:

"Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self, unafraid to be your true self, in public or private. This is me. This is what I’m dealing with."

According to People Magazine, Jason Collins, who turned out to be the first ever openly gay active NBA player, married his romantic partner, Brunson Green, who is a movie producer and the president of the production company, Harbinger Pictures. Collins, who also played for teams such as the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards, married Brunson in May 2025.

Brunson's drama film The Help, which he co-produced, was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. The drama film, which was released in 2011, starred successful and critically acclaimed actresses such as Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Jason Collins opened up about his Stage 4 glioblastoma diagnosis

While opening up to ESPN about his Stage 4 glioblastoma diagnosis, Jason Collins said:

"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. What makes it so difficult to treat in my case is that it’s surrounded by the brain and is encroaching upon the frontal lobe — which is what makes you, ‘you.’"

He continued:

My glioblastoma is ‘multiforme.’ Imagine a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of my brain the width of a baseball,”

As cited by TODAY, according to a biopsy report, Jason Collins' brain cancer "had a growth factor of 30%," which meant:

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."

Trending

While mentioning how dangerous his brain cancer is, Collins added:

"What’s that mythical creature where you cut off one head, but it learns to grow two more? The Hydra. That’s the kind of glio I have."

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback