Former NBA center Jason Collins has spoken out about his ongoing battle with brain cancer.
Collins, 47, released a statement Thursday revealing that he has Stage 4 glioblastoma, a “very aggressive” form of brain tumor that has heavily impaired his ability to do everyday things. He added that the tumor came on “incredibly fast.”
The 13-year NBA veteran first went to the hospital in August after having trouble packing for a flight headed to New York to watch the US Open. He and his spouse ended up missing the flight.
“A few months ago, my family released a short statement saying I had a brain tumor,” Collins wrote via ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “It was simple, but intentionally vague. They did that to protect my privacy while I was mentally unable to speak for myself and my loved ones were trying to understand what we were dealing with.
“But now it’s time for people to hear directly from me.
“I have Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. It came on incredibly fast.
“… What makes glioblastoma so dangerous is that it grows within a very finite, contained space — the skull — and it’s very aggressive and can expand. What makes it so difficult to treat in my case is that it’s surrounded by the brain and is encroaching upon the frontal lobe — which is what makes you, ‘you.’
“My glioblastoma is ‘multiforme.’ Imagine a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of my brain the width of a baseball.”
Collins compared his initial symptoms to the movie “Finding Nemo.” He experienced “short-term memory and comprehension” issues akin to those of the character “Dory.” Collins added that he would have likely been “dead within six weeks to three months” had he not started treatment when he did.
You can read Collins’ full statement here.
Collins played for six different teams across his 13-year NBA career. He spent seven years with the New Jersey Nets, serving as the team’s primary starting center from 2001 to 2008. He also had brief stints with the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and Washington Wizards.
The Stanford alum returned to the Nets for the 2013-14 campaign before retiring from the NBA. Collins made history before his final season when he became the first active player in the four major American team sports to come out as gay.