Jason Collins, NBA's first openly gay player, dead at 47

Jason Collins, a longtime NBA role player who became widely known in 2013 as the first openly gay active player in a major American sports league, died Tuesday at age 47.

Collins passed away following an eight-month battle with Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer he had been fighting since last August.

FORMER SYRACUSE, INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL PRO TIANA MANGAKAHIA DEAD FOLLOWING CANCER DIAGNOSIS, FAMILY SAYS

The ex-center’s death comes as the NBA is also...