Former NBA player Jason Collins has been diagnosed with stage IV brain cancer. "A few months ago, my family released a short statement saying I had a brain tumor. It was simple, but intentionally vague," Collins, 47, wrote in an essay for ESPN published on Thursday, December 11. "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.