Jason Collins was awarded the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the 2026 ESPY Awards.
The late athlete posthumously received an award from GMA‘s Robin Roberts during a ceremony on Wednesday, July 15, at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player, has been recognized for his impact on LGBTQ+ visibility in professional sports.
The video package featured Collins’ husband. Brunson Greenbreaking their silence following the NBA pioneer’s death from stage IV glioblastoma in May 2026.
“When he was first diagnosed, he was scrolling through Wikipedia about glioblastoma and how it was essentially a death sentence,” Greene recalls. “He wanted to fight it and see how long he could live his life because it could really help other people.”
Jason’s twin brother Collins Vaseaccepted the award on his own behalf. During the speech, Brunson was shown in tears as he watched from the audience.
“I wish my brother could be here to accept this award, but I’m honored to accept this award on his behalf,” Jarron, 47, said.
He continued: “When Jason was diagnosed with glioblastoma, he was willing to share his experience, his treatment and his plans with the hope that, if not for him, then for others. I promise to make sure tonight is not the end of my brother’s legacy – it is just the beginning. There are many more people who could benefit from hearing his story, and we have a responsibility to keep telling it and continue what he started.”
In June, news broke that Jason would become the latest recipient of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, which is given to an individual who has made a difference off the field by standing up for their beliefs. In a statement at the time, Jarron, 47, said: “It is bittersweet but deeply meaningful to accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage on behalf of my brother, celebrating a legacy of visibility, strength and love that will last forever.”
The ESPY honor comes two months after Jason’s family announced his death in a May 12 NBA statement. He was 47.
“We are heartbroken to announce that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant battle with glioblastoma,” the statement said.
“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and became an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar,” the statement said. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the last eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. He will be greatly missed by our family.”
Later that month Us It was exclusively revealed that Jason died of respiratory failure. According to his death certificate, several underlying conditions contributed to the death, including a blood clot, fluid buildup in the brain and brain cancer.
Jason publicly shared his diagnosis of stage IV glioblastoma in December 2025.
“What makes glioblastoma so dangerous is that it grows in a very confined confined space – the skull – and is very aggressive and can expand,” he told ESPN at the time. “What makes it so difficult to treat in my case is that it is surrounded by the brain and encroaches on the frontal lobe—which is what makes you “you.” My glioblastoma is “multiforme”. Imagine a monster with tentacles that stretch across the bottom of my brain the width of a baseball.”
Jason added that his glioblastoma was “extraordinary for all the wrong reasons.” He described it as “wild type” because it had “all these mutations that make it even more deadly and difficult to treat.”
At the time, Jason, who married his husband Green in May 2025, was also contemplating coming out more than a decade ago.
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“When I publicly came out as the first active gay basketball player in 2013, I told many of the people closest to me,” he said. “I wasn’t afraid that the information would leak before the story came out because I trusted the people I told. And you know what? Nothing leaked. I got to tell my own story, the way I wanted to. And now I can honestly say that the past 12 years have been the best of my life. Your life is so much better when you just show your true self, without being afraid to be yourself, publicly or privately. That’s me. That’s what I deal with.”
Jason hoped that sharing his cancer journey with the world could have the same impact.
“After I came out, someone I really respect told me that my choice to live openly could help someone I might never meet,” he recalled. “I’ve kept it up for years. And if I can do it again now, then that makes a difference.”