Here's What We Know About Former NBA Star Jason Collins's Net Worth

Learning that you're battling cancer can be one of the scariest moments of a person's life. Because it's not a choice you get, it's simply an announcement: You have cancer, and this is your reality. Adjusting to that truth can be difficult, but especially so when the cancer is advanced.

Former NBA star Jason Collins recently announced that he was battling cancer.

Fortunately for the former basketball star, he has a net worth that should allow him to access the best care possible, giving him as much of a chance as medical science can give. Here's what we know about Jason's net worth and his diagnosis.

Jason started his time as a pro basketball player as the 18th pick in the 2001 NBA draft with the New Jersey Nets.

Through the years, he was a solid team member, with his peak being the '04-'05 year averaging 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, plus a league-high 322 personal fouls, according to Biography.com.

But he is perhaps best known for being the first male athlete in the four major North American professional sports to come out as gay. Jason made the announcement in 2013 through an interview with Sports Illustrated. He shared that he was frustrated that he couldn't join his friend in a gay pride parade.

Additionally, he mused at the time that the Boston Marathon bombings made him more determined than ever to live authentically, according to Biography.com. He is considered a groundbreaker, standing alone at a time when being a gay athlete was still heavily marginalized.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jason's NBA career earned him an estimated $14 million net worth.

Heartbreakingly, December 2025 brought devastating news to loved ones and fans of Jason. He announced on Dec. 12, 2025, that he was diagnosed with stage IV glioblastoma, according to CBS News.

Mayo Clinic reports that glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain cancer that can happen at any age, but is more common in older individuals. There is no cure, and prognosis is guarded at best.

Senator John McCain famously died from his battle with glioblastoma in 2018, according to Scientific American.

Jason is realistic about the challenges posed by his battle, saying, "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'" (excerpts via CBS News).

He's speaking openly about his diagnosis in order to encourage others battling the same diagnosis. He added, "When my grandmother got sick with stage 4 stomach cancer, she didn't like people saying the word 'cancer.' She never wanted that word being spoken. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum. I don't care if you say the word. I have cancer, but just like my grandmother fought it, I'm going to fight it."

The plan for treatment involves buying time until a treatment can be developed that is specialized to Jason's situation in the form of a very expensive immunotherapy. He explained, "The goal is to keep fighting the progress of the tumors long enough for a personalized immunotherapy to be made for me, and to keep me healthy enough to receive that immunotherapy once it's ready."

All across the internet, fans and loved ones are wishing him well in his battle.