Jason Collins wanted us to know 'there's work to be done' to support gay athletes

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Justin Edmonds / Getty Images Share articleJason Collins and I had been talking over the phone for just under five minutes when we got to the meat of the discussion: Was Collins, who in 2013 emerged as the first active, openly gay player in NBA history, disappointed that more professional athletes haven’t come out over the years? Collins paused for a couple of beats. “I don’t know if disappointed would be the word,” he said. “I would always try to spin things in the way of there’s work to be done.” It’s with tremendous poignancy that I share with you that this conversation took place on May 12, 2025, exactly one year before Collins lost his battle against Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.  He was 47. We had set up the interview for a piece I was writing on Pride month. Listening to the recording late Tuesday night after the news of Collins’ death appeared on my phone, I was reminded how happy he sounded that day, how at peace he was, how much he was looking forward to his upcoming marriage to longtime boyfriend Brunson Green. The wedding would be taking place over Memorial Day weekend. “I would have called earlier, but I was going over the wedding playlist,” Collins told me. In December, barely six months after the wedding, Collins announced his cancer diagnosis.  And now, as we search for ways to honor this brave, forward-looking man, I’d like to offer Collins’ own words from that interview. Let’s begin with the line about the playlist, and about “getting the tents, getting the food, getting the DJ, yada yada yada.” He mentioned an upcoming call with the wedding planner, which got him giggling for a couple of seconds. In talking about tents and DJs, and laughing about it, Collins was offering a splendid example of how he was, indeed, enjoying a peaceful, happy life after his coming-out essay for Sports Illustrated appeared online on April 29, 2013, and in the magazine’s May 6 print edition. Collins was a free agent at the time. He later signed with the Brooklyn Nets, with whom he closed out his NBA career.  So there’s that message from Jason Collins. He came out. He was accepted. Collins other message is his reminder that there’s work to be done. What beautiful, brilliant diplomacy by Collins. Asked if he was disappointed that more athletes in North American men’s team sports haven’t come out, he needed just those couple of beats to craft a response that was devoid of dark clouds and tsk-tsking.  Disappointed? Nope. Not at all. Apparently, in Collins’s view, that would have been scorekeeping. And scorekeeping, by definition, is all about keeping track of what’s happened in the past. Collins chose to look to the future. “I would always try to spin things in the way of there’s work to be done.” During our conversation, Collins talked about other professional athletes who have come out, including NFL defensive end Carl Nassib and professional soccer player Robbie Rogers. But in doing so, Collins pointed out that the team he was playing for appeared in the NBA playoffs after he came out, just as Nassib and Rogers made playoff appearances in their leagues. “Around the time, a little bit before I made my announcement, there was a rumor of four NFL players who were going to come out, an all-together kind of thing,” Collins told me. “That obviously never happened. But I hope that those athletes that are considering coming out look to my example, my team making the playoffs, beating the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 on the road … Robbie winning the MLS Cup … Carl Nassib’s example, his team making it to the playoffs … there are those examples of male athletes being able to speak and live your truth but also being able to help your teams compete for postseason play.” Collins was always very proud of those 22 games he played for the 2013-14 Nets. He was always proud that he dressed for those seven playoff games against the Raptors, even though he didn’t get into any of them. He was always very proud that he wrote his coming-out essay and then happily went on with his life, from playing basketball to assembling a wedding playlist to tying the knot with the man he referred to as “Brunce” during our phone interview. And any athlete in any sport who’s considering coming out will be proud to know that Jason Collins left a message. He left the message to all of us, actually. “They definitely exist, those athletes who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, and, again, it goes back to there’s work to be done, as to why they don’t feel comfortable, safe, to speak up,” Collins said. “But we have to continue to create an environment where they see that if and when they are ready to speak up, that they will be supported and accepted for who they are.” Not a trace of disappointment. Just a forward-looking observation that there’s work to be done. That’s Jason Collins’ legacy, right there. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms