Chelsea Clinton stayed quiet for a full day after the news broke. Then, on May 13, she posted a message on social media that stopped people in their tracks. Alongside an old photograph of herself and Jason Collins, the pioneering NBA center who died the day before at age 47, Clinton wrote words that made clear just how deep this loss cut.
“Heartbroken by the passing of my beloved friend Jason Collins,” Clinton wrote. “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.”
This wasn’t a politician’s statement drafted by a press team. It was a 46-year-old woman mourning someone she’d known since they were both 18 years old, sitting in dorm rooms at Stanford University with their whole lives ahead of them. That friendship lasted nearly three decades, through Collins’ NBA career, through Clinton’s very public life as the daughter of a president, through Collins’ decision to come out as gay in 2013, and through his final months fighting an aggressive form of brain cancer.
A Friendship That Started at Stanford
Chelsea Clinton and Jason Collins met during their freshman year at Stanford, sometime around 1997. Think about that for a second. Collins was a towering basketball prospect from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, a kid who’d won back-to-back California state titles with his identical twin brother Jarron. Clinton was the teenage daughter of the sitting President of the United States. Not exactly your typical college freshmen.
But they clicked. And the friendship endured through wildly different life paths. Collins went on to get drafted 18th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, ahead of guys like Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, and Zach Randolph, all of whom became All-Stars. Clinton went on to earn graduate degrees, work in public health, and raise a family under constant media scrutiny. Through all of it, they stayed close.
How close? Close enough that when Collins was preparing to publish his now-famous Sports Illustrated cover story in 2013, he called Chelsea personally to tell her what was coming. In a 2014 piece for Time magazine, Clinton recalled that conversation, writing: “When Jason called to talk about his forthcoming Sports Illustrated cover story, The Gay Athlete, I realized at some point that I wasn’t surprised we were having the conversation we were.”
The Whole Clinton Family Rallied Around Him
It wasn’t just Chelsea who showed up for Jason Collins. The entire Clinton family embraced him publicly when he came out. Bill Clinton voiced his support in 2013 when Collins became the first openly gay active player in any major North American professional sport. That mattered. It mattered a lot.
And on May 13, the former president posted his own tribute to Collins, calling him “far more than a trailblazer for the NBA” and “a great friend to Chelsea.” Bill and Hillary Clinton sent their condolences to Collins’ husband, Brunson Green, his twin brother Jarron, and the rest of the Collins family.
There’s something genuinely moving about a former First Family grieving so openly for someone who wasn’t a political ally or a fellow power player, but a friend. A real one. The kind you make when you’re young and keep for life.
Who Jason Collins Was Before the History Books
The headlines will always lead with the history Collins made. And they should. But the man behind the milestone had a full, complicated, interesting life that deserves more than a one-line summary.
Jason Paul Collins was born December 2, 1978, in Los Angeles, eight minutes before his twin brother Jarron. Their parents, Paul and Portia, were insurance agents in the Northridge neighborhood. Both boys attended Harvard-Westlake, the elite private school, where they compiled a combined record of 123-10. Jason set a California state high school rebounding record with 1,500 total boards.
At Stanford, Collins shot nearly 61% from the field, a school record that still stands. He earned honorable mention All-America status from the Associated Press in 2001. Then came the draft, and a 13-year NBA career that took him to seven different franchises.
Was he a star? No. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds for his career. He never averaged more than seven points or seven rebounds in any single season. But he was the kind of player coaches love. Physical. Tough on defense. Smart. The Brooklyn Nets called him “selfless, tough, and deeply respected by teammates, coaches, and staff alike.” That’s the kind of player who keeps getting roster spots for 13 years. Teams need guys like that.
The New Jersey Nets Years
Collins spent the bulk of his career with the New Jersey Nets, from 2001 to 2008. Those early years were the best ones for the franchise. Collins helped the Nets reach back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, playing alongside guys like Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and Richard Jefferson.
After leaving the Nets, Collins bounced around. Memphis Grizzlies. Minnesota Timberwolves. Atlanta Hawks. Boston Celtics. Washington Wizards. Then back to the Nets after they’d moved to Brooklyn. It was there, in 2014, that Collins made his return to the court as an openly gay man, wearing jersey number 98.
That number wasn’t random. It was a tribute to Matthew Shepard, the gay college student who was murdered in 1998. Collins said at the time: “When I put on my jersey, I was making a statement to myself, my family, and my friends.” The jersey shot to the top of the NBA’s online sales charts, and proceeds went to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and GLSEN.
The Way He Faced His Final Fight
Collins married film producer Brunson Green in May 2025 in Austin, Texas. Green is best known for producing “The Help.” Just three months after the wedding, Collins started experiencing strange symptoms while packing for a trip to the U.S. Open. He couldn’t focus. Then things got worse fast.
“Within hours, my mental clarity, short-term memory and comprehension disappeared,” Collins later revealed. CT scans showed the worst possible news. He described the diagnosis with a brutal image: “Imagine a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of my brain the width of a baseball.”
Doctors initially told him he’d have between six weeks and three months if he did nothing. Collins, being Collins, compared it to guarding Shaquille O’Neal. “You want the challenge? This is the challenge. And there is no bigger challenge in basketball than going up against prime Shaquille O’Neal, and I’ve done that,” he wrote for ESPN in December 2025.
He and Green traveled to Singapore for experimental treatments that weren’t available in the United States, procedures that delivered chemotherapy drugs directly to the tumor. Collins returned to the U.S. in improved condition, but the cancer came back. He passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on May 12, 2026.
The NBA World Mourned Immediately
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a lengthy statement, saying Collins’ “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.” Silver added that Collins would be remembered “not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life.”
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who played with Collins on the Nets and coached him in Brooklyn, wrote on social media: “This one hurts. Jason Collins was a pioneer. He had courage like you’ve never seen.” Former teammates Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce also shared remembrances. Tennis legend Billie Jean King, for whose foundation Collins had served as a founding advisory board member, called him “our dear friend” who “helped move sports and society forward with strength.”
A moment of silence was held before Tuesday’s NBA playoff game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.
Honors He Didn’t Live to Receive in Person
Just days before his death, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too sick to attend. His twin brother Jarron accepted on his behalf, telling the audience: “I told my brother this before I came here: He’s the bravest, strongest man I’ve ever known.”
Collins had also been named a recipient of the 2026 Glenn Burke Award by the LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame, an honor recognizing courage and authenticity in transforming sports. The induction ceremony is scheduled for June 25 in New York City during NYC Pride. He won’t be there for that one either.
Collins is survived by his husband Brunson Green, his parents Paul and Portia, and his twin brother Jarron, who most recently served as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Why Chelsea Clinton’s Tribute Hit Differently
There were a lot of tributes this week. From commissioners, from coaches, from advocacy organizations. Many of them were beautifully worded and clearly sincere. But Chelsea Clinton’s hit a different nerve because it wasn’t about the history books. It was about a friendship. About a person she knew before any of the rest of us did.
She didn’t talk about his statistics or his legacy. She talked about how he made her laugh. That’s the part that stays with you. The NBA world lost a pioneer. The LGBTQ community lost a symbol. But Chelsea Clinton lost a friend she’d had since she was a teenager. And that throwback photo she posted, two young people at Stanford with no idea what was coming, said more than any official statement ever could.