Jason Collins Is Setting the Hardest Screen of His Life

Normally, we come here to laugh about missed free throws, questionable coaching decisions, and mascots acting a fool. But today, we’re putting the jokes on the bench for a minute because Jason Collins just dropped some news that hit the sports world harder than a Shaq elbow in the paint.

The former NBA center—and the man with enough guts to become the league's first openly gay active player back in 2013—announced he is fighting Stage 4 glioblastoma.

It’s a severe form of brain cancer. It’s tough. It’s scary. But if you think Jason Collins is going to roll over and let it win without a brawl, you clearly never watched him defend the low post in the early 2000s.

The "Dory" Defense

Collins told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that things went south this summer when he couldn't figure out how to pack for the US Open. He described his mental state disappearing and turning into "an NBA player’s version of Dory from ‘Finding Nemo.’"

First of all, shoutout to Collins for dropping a Pixar reference while discussing a brain tumor. That is elite-level compartmentalization.

The diagnosis is heavy: Stage 4, unresectable tumor. The standard prognosis is 11 to 14 months. But Collins is opting for aggressive experimental treatments because, in his words, if he’s going to go down swinging, he might as well help set a new standard of care for everyone else. That is the definition of a "team guy."

The "No Leaks" Policy

In an era where we know what a player ate for breakfast before the check clears, Collins managed to keep this completely under wraps until he was ready to talk.

He handled this exactly like his coming out story in 2013: On his own terms. No Woj bombs, no Shams tweets, no leaks. He trusted his circle, and his circle held it down.

“Nothing leaked,” Collins said. “I got to tell my own story, the way I wanted to.”

In the social media age, keeping a secret this big is harder than guarding LeBron in transition. Respect.

Not Like Elvis

Here is the part that tells you everything you need to know about the man. A week before his hospital visit, Collins took a bad fall at home. He was on the floor, unable to get up, and his first thought wasn't panic. It was pure image management.

“I’m not going to be like Elvis on the toilet,” Collins told himself. “If something goes bad here, this is not how you’re going to find me.”

He solved the "puzzle" of getting off the floor because he refused to let that be the headline. If you can keep your sense of humor and your dignity while lying on the floor with a brain tumor, you are built differently.

The Sanchez Verdict

Jason Collins made a career out of doing the dirty work—setting screens, taking charges, and banging bodies with the biggest humans on earth. He never backed down from a challenge then, and he isn't backing down now.

He says, "Anyone who knows me knows not to underestimate me on this."

We hear you, Jason. You've got the whole league in your corner. Keep fighting.

Sanchez out.