Jason Collins' Legacy: Estate Planning and Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Causes

Jason Collins, the trailblazing former NBA center who became the league’s first openly gay player, quietly put his affairs in order just months before revealing he had cancer.

Court documents show Collins signed his will in October 2025, laying out how his estate should be handled and who should receive his belongings. The filings list personal property worth more than $1.8 million, with the possibility of additional assets tucked away in private trusts that are not detailed in the paperwork.

Collins didn’t leave the distribution of his possessions to chance. In the will, he specified that a written note in a safe-deposit box would guide his executor on who should receive his jewelry, watches, silverware, clothing, cars, and other personal effects — a final, personal instruction from a man who spent his life under a spotlight but chose a very private structure for his legacy.

He named his aunt, Teri, as executor of the estate, placing the legal and emotional responsibility in the hands of a close family member. If she is unable to serve, his husband, William Green, and his twin brother, former NBA player and coach Jarron Collins, are listed as alternates.

The beneficiaries reflect the tight circle that surrounded him. His parents, his brother, a cousin, his husband, and his aunt are all named. The documents also carve out a place for two causes that aligned with his public advocacy: Glisten and Point Foundation, both of which support LGBTQ+ students. Even in death, Collins directed part of his estate toward opening doors for young people walking a path he helped illuminate.

Collins died on May 12, 2026, following a battle with brain cancer.

He left the game years ago, but the way he prepared for the end — deliberate, specific, and with an eye on both family and community — underlines how carefully he managed every chapter of a historic life.