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

Jason Collins, the trailblazing former NBA center who became the league’s first openly gay player, put his affairs in order months before revealing he had cancer, carefully detailing how his estate should be handled.

Court documents show Collins left behind personal property valued at more than $1.8 million, with the possibility of additional assets tucked away in private trusts. It was a deliberate, structured plan from a man who had spent much of his life in the public eye, and who clearly wanted clarity for those closest to him once he was gone.

Estate Plan

At the heart of that plan was a will executed in October 2025. In it, Collins specified that he had written a separate note, stored in a safe-deposit box, directing his executor on how to distribute some of his most personal possessions — jewelry, watches, silverware, clothing, cars, and other effects that carried the weight of memory as much as monetary value.

He named his aunt, Teri, as executor of the estate, trusting her to carry out his wishes. If she were unable to serve, his husband, William Green, and his brother, former NBA player and coach Jarron Collins, were designated as alternates. The structure underscored how tightly his inner circle remained bound: family by blood, family by marriage, and family forged through a lifetime in basketball.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries reflect that same core. Collins directed his estate to his parents, his brother, a cousin, his husband, and his aunt, ensuring that the people who had surrounded him in life would be supported after his death.

He also extended that care outward. Two organizations — Glisten and Point Foundation — were named as beneficiaries. Both work on behalf of LGBTQ+ students, offering support, advocacy, and opportunity to young people navigating the kind of identity questions Collins once faced under a far harsher spotlight. Even in death, his legacy reaches into classrooms and campuses, where the next generation is still fighting for space and safety.

Collins died on May 12, 2026, following a battle with brain cancer. His career broke barriers. His final paperwork shows he wanted his impact to outlast the final buzzer.