Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1545517
FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2026 55 This month our selection for the Famous LGBT Americans series is Jason Paul Collins (inset), who was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Collins was born on Dec. 2, 1978 in Northridge. He was born eight minutes ahead of his twin brother, Jarron, who also became an NBA basketball player. Both brothers attended and played basketball for Harvard-Westlake High School in North Hollywood and for Stanford University. At Stanford, Collins received a degree in communications. On their basketball team, he became the school's career leader in field goal percentage (.608), a record which still stands. He was named a third-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Collins went on to play for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets. On Nov. 19, 2014, Collins retired from professional basketball after 13 seasons in the NBA. After retirement, Collins became a member of President Barack Obama's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. He also served as an NBA Cares Ambassador focused on involvement in different community activities to "amplify the positive impact of teams and players off the court." In the May 6, 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated, Collins wrote an open letter coming out as being gay. He has the unique distinction of becoming the first active male athlete from one of the four major North American professional team sports, the NBA, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League to publicly disclose his homosexuality. He was praised for this by, among others, Kobe Bryant, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton. Shortly after his letter in Sports Illustrated, Collins met Brunson Green. Green worked as a movie producer. Among his many accomplishments, in 2011, he had partnered with Tate Taylor and Kathryn Stockett to create a film adaptation of Stockett's 2009 book, e Help. Collins and Green later married in May 2025. In 2025, Collins was diagnosed with a stage-four glioblastoma, an advanced type of brain cancer. He died at his home in Los Angeles on May 12, 2026 at the age of 47 years. For more information and for the sources for this article, please go to the Rainbow Group's Facebook page or request a copy via our email (rainbowgroup@myyahoo.com). The locations and times of Rainbow Group events are available via our Facebook page or email. ~ Dan Hazeltine and Frank Galvan Rainbow Group