Jason Collins’ cause of death has been confirmed after the NBA player died at age 47.
Collins, the first openly gay player in NBA history, died of respiratory failure with underlying conditions that contributed being pulmonary embolism (blood clot), hydrocephalus (buildup of fluid in the brain) and glioblastoma (brain cancer), according to a death certificate obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, May 19. Collins announced he had been diagnosed with stage IV glioblastoma in November 2025.
Per the certificate, the trailblazing athlete’s body was cremated on May 15, and Collins’ remains are with his husband, Brunson Green, in Texas.
Collins’ family announced his death in a May 12 statement to the NBA.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” the statement read.
“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar,” the statement continued. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
Shortly after news broke of Jason’s death, his sister-in-law Elsa Collins — who is married to Jason’s twin brother, Jarron — offered some insight into his final months after being diagnosed with stage IV glioblastoma in November 2025. In an Instagram Story video, Elsa spoke directly to Jason in a heartfelt speech at a pre-Thanksgiving dinner before he left for treatment in Singapore.
“I’m so grateful that we’re here,” she said. “I’m so grateful that we could do this before you are going to Singapore. You know I love you like a brother. I think back, for as many years as I’ve been with Jarron, that’s all the years that you’ve been in my life as well.”
Elsa, 46, went on to praise Jason for mentoring her and Jarron’s three kids.
“I’m so grateful that you’ve been in their lives, you are in their life and that you’re going to continue to be in their life,” she added. “I can’t imagine them turning out as amazing as they have — and I know it’s because of everybody here playing their own individual role — and I know your role as the amazing Tio Jason cannot be described to a level that it really means. I hope you do know that.”
Chelsea Clinton was among the celebrities who paid tribute to Jason after his death.
“Heartbroken by the passing of my beloved friend Jason Collins,” she wrote via X on May 13. “He was a trailblazer whose courage changed lives, and a kind, thoughtful friend who could always make me laugh. He will live in my heart forever.”
Jason played professional basketball for 13 years, making the rosters of the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets. Before retiring in 2014, he publicly came out as gay in a 2013 Sports Illustrated cover story, making him the first openly gay player in the NBA. More than a decade later, Jason married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
“When I chose to come out, there was no scandal or anything,” he wrote in a December 2025 ESPN essay. “This was like, I feel that I am good enough to play in the NBA and by the way, I’m gay. Just so everyone knows cards on the table, this is where I am.”
