Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in the NBA, has died. He was 45. News of his death, announced this afternoon by family, has sent shockwaves through the sporting world. British equality campaigners were quick to pay tribute. Stonewall, the LGBT charity, called him “a pioneer whose courage changed the game forever.”
Collins came out in 2013, in a Sports Illustrated cover story. He was a journeyman centre, a career 3.6-points-per-game player. But his announcement was seismic. No active male athlete in a major US sport had ever come out. He played 13 seasons, racking up stops with six teams. The Nets, Celtics, Hawks, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Wizards. He was never an All-Star. But he became a symbol.
The reaction in Britain was immediate. Peter Tatchell, the veteran human rights campaigner, described Collins as “a true game-changer.” He added: “His bravery inspired a generation of LGBT athletes here in the UK.” Indeed, Collins’s impact crossed the Atlantic. He visited the UK in 2014, meeting players from the Premier League and the RFU. He spoke at the House of Commons. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who chaired the meeting, recalled: “Jason didn’t just break a barrier. He smashed it.”
But some in Westminster were more circumspect. A source in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport noted: “The real test is whether the next generation feels safe to be themselves. Collins opened the door. But the room is still far from full.” Indeed, no top-flight male footballer in England has come out since Justin Fashanu in 1990. Fashanu took his own life in 1998. The contrast is stark.
Collins retired in 2014. He has since worked as an activist, a speaker, and a mentor. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, according to a family statement. He died in Los Angeles. He is survived by his mother, his twin brother (former NBA player Jarron Collins), and a partner.
Downing Street released a statement. The Prime Minister said: “Jason Collins was a trailblazer. His legacy is a world where sport truly belongs to everyone.” But behind the scenes, there is anxiety. A Whitehall insider told me: “There’s a danger we treat this as a closed chapter. The fight for inclusion in British sport is ongoing. The numbers don’t lie.”
Indeed, polling conducted by YouGov last year found that 48% of LGBT+ athletes in the UK still believe coming out would harm their career. For footballers, the figure is higher. The game’s locker rooms remain a pressure cooker. Collins’s death will refocus attention on that.
Tributes are flowing in from across the spectrum. NBA commissioner Adam Silver. US president Joe Biden. The Archbishop of Canterbury. But the most telling words came from the Rugby Football Union’s LGBT+ network: “Jason showed us that you can be both an elite athlete and your true self. That lesson will outlast us all.”
For the political class, Collins’s death is a moment to reflect. But as one Labour frontbencher put it to me: “We mustn’t let the tribute become the extent of our action. The next Jason Collins should be able to play without being a headline.”
This is a developing story. The family has requested privacy. No details of a memorial have been released. But one thing is certain: Jason Collins’s number will never be worn again. Not because it was retired, but because it belongs to history.
