When Jason Collins was working up the courage to come out as gay to his grandmother, he worried what she might say. She was a deeply religious woman. And, out of all of his family members, she was the one he was most nervous to confide in.

But she looked at him — truly saw him for who he was — and embraced him. “Baby,” she told him, “it’s about love.”

Love is one of the many principles Collins would come to stand for. Love is what Collins encouraged. Love is what enabled him to overcome his fear of what his family, friends, NBA teammates and coaches would say, when he decided to come out on April 29, 2013, a watershed moment in professional sports.

Love is one of the many gifts that Collins gave us. He died at age 47 Tuesday. He announced in December that he was undergoing treatment for Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the most severe forms of brain cancer.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” Collins’s family said in a statement released by the NBA Tuesday.

“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

Jason Collins was on the Nets two NBA Finals teams in 2002 and 2003. (Jeff Gross / Getty Images)

After spending a lifetime of wishing he were different, Collins told the world exactly who he was in 2013.

“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” he announced that day in an essay for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active publicly gay athlete of North America’s four major pro sports leagues.

No more hiding. No more living a lie. No more wrestling with himself. If he was going to play basketball, he was going to play basketball fully. As himself. All of himself.

Whole.

And because of his courage, a new generation of athletes stood a little taller. Straightened their shoulders a little firmer. He gave people permission to be themselves — to love who they want.

And to love themselves.

When diagnosed with cancer, he shared his own story, on his own terms, as he did when he came out in 2013. “I can honestly say, the past 12 years since have been the best of my life,” Collins told ESPN. “Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self, unafraid to be your true self, in public or private. This is me. This is what I’m dealing with.”

When Collins decided to come out as gay in 2013, he was inching toward the end of his professional career. He had a fine NBA resume that included playing for six teams. He was widely respected by his coaches and teammates. He was a first-round draft pick in 2001 and an All-Pac 10 player at Stanford. Collins was drafted by the Houston Rockets and then traded to the New Jersey Nets. He was on the Nets’ two NBA Finals teams in 2002 and 2003.

He could have ended his career without saying a word. But the more he looked around him, and the more he looked inside him, searching to, as he would say, embrace “the puzzle that is me,” he realized that he would have to be the role model he wished he had. No one else had spoken up. No one else, it seemed, was willing to sacrifice, willing to take the risk of the stigma that he surely knew would come with his words.

“I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different,’ he wrote that day in 2013. “If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”

His impact was widely felt not just in the NBA, not just in basketball, but in all sports. Around the world. President Obama. Kobe Bryant. Everyone was listening. In sharing his truth, he opened up a space for others to be vulnerable, too. And there have been other athletes who have come out since, including NFL players Michael Sam (2014) and Carl Nassib (2021).

If the measure of a life is one’s impact on others, Collins succeeded in droves. He continued his advocacy long after 2013, becoming a public speaker and political activist. He was a balm in a world where homophobia and transphobia have risen. He was an example of the way that athletes can use their voice for the betterment of society. It didn’t matter how many career rebounds he had; he taught thousands of children that words are powerful. That one can find acceptance; belonging that he didn’t know was possible when he was growing up in Los Angeles.

He followed a strong moral compass, one that taught him to “be a good teammate,” he told The Athletic in 2023. “It all goes back to what my grandmother said: your reputation will go places you will never go. Try to have a positive effect on people so that when you leave their presence, they’re speaking kind words about you. Know that the world has enough negativity already. … Try to be as positive and to help somebody else as much as you can.”

As a journeyman, he always knew he had more basketball years behind him than he did in front of him. Time was always in the background, asking players of his caliber, of his age, when it might be time to hang up his sneakers. But he was thinking beyond that. He was thinking about how to help other people. And he wanted to do it before time ran out — before his career was over.

For years, he wondered whether he should come out — and when. And what the consequences might be. When former Stanford University roommate, Joe Kennedy, a congressman from Massachusetts at the time, marched in a Pride parade in Boston, he felt more of an urge to speak his truth. But it was the Boston Marathon bombing that shifted something in him. It “reinforced the notion that I shouldn’t wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect,” he wrote in 2013. “Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?”

His death reminds us of how quickly things can change. That urgency to live in our own truths, and to be supportive of others. To be positive. To be kind.

There is always time to love.

The New York/New Jersey host committee has slashed the cost of its FIFA World Cup shuttle bus service to MetLife Stadium by 75 percent, reducing the fare for fans from $80 to $20 during the tournament.

The committee had previously committed to providing 10,000 bus seats for fans travelling to games at MetLife, but has now increased its inventory by hiring classic American yellow school buses.

There will be 18,000 bus seats available for the five World Cup games at MetLife, including the World Cup final on July 19, that do not take place on school days. There will be 12,000 seats available for the three group stage games at MetLife that fall on weekdays before the school year ends.

The Athletic can reveal that New York State, led by Gov. Kathy Hochul, has invested $6 million to help bring down prices, and fans who have already purchased $80 tickets will receive $60 refunds to bring their ticket cost down to $20. As a condition of the investment, Hochul told The Athletic that “around 20 percent” of bus tickets will be reserved exclusively for New York state residents who have purchased match tickets, ensuring the funding brings value to local taxpayers. According to those with knowledge of tickets purchased for games at MetLife Stadium, around 25 to 30 percent have been bought by residents of the New York/New Jersey region.

The investment by New York State was accompanied by an intervention by Highland Fleets, an American company that manages some of the largest electric school bus fleets. After witnessing the response to the original ticket pricing, Highland reached out to the office of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, asking how they might be able to support the event and help reduce costs. The mayor’s office, in turn, put Highland in touch with the New York governor’s office and Alex Lasry, the chief executive of the joint New York/New Jersey host committee. Lasry then worked with Highland and New York City School Bus Umbrella Services to secure the increased number of buses, with around 300 in total set to be in use on the busiest matchdays.

Lasry, who worked behind the scenes to secure more political and financial support for the services, said he was grateful to partners across the region “helping to make the entire World Cup experience more affordable”, insisting that “fan experience” is the host committee’s “top priority.”

The buses to MetLife will depart from three Manhattan locations: Port Authority Bus Terminal, a Midtown East location east of Grand Central Terminal and a Midtown North location west of Central Park.

Speaking to The Athletic, Highland chief operating officer Ben Schutzman said Highland’s goal of creating “affordable and accessible” bus services was in line with the objective of bringing down transport costs during the World Cup.

Upon helping to secure the bus price reductions, a spokesman for Mayor Mamdani said: “Mayor Mamdani supports any effort that makes transportation more affordable for New Yorkers — including reduced-cost buses for World Cup ticketholders. We look forward to rolling out additional free and affordable events to ensure that all New Yorkers can enjoy the World Cup.”

The NJ Transit price has also come down since first announced a month ago at $150. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill had directed NJ Transit to ensure ordinary New Jersey commuters would not carry the burden of the cost, meaning the $48 million cost of World Cup-related services to the agency would be transferred to World Cup ticket-holders rather than local taxpayers.

“Thanks to FIFA-related advertising revenue, higher-than-anticipated non-FIFA advertising revenue and additional federal grants, NJ Transit has cut the FIFA round-trip ticket from $150 to $98 — keeping Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s pledge not to pass on costs onto commuters or New Jersey taxpayers,” said Kris Kolluri, president & CEO of NJ Transit.

Sherrill claimed that FIFA, which has said it will earn revenues in excess of $11 billion from the World Cup, ought to share in the costs of public transportation during the World Cup. FIFA’s original hosting agreement with New York and New Jersey was signed during the tenure of Sherrill’s predecessor, Phil Murphy. According to documents seen by northjersey.com, New Jersey has already committed more than $300 million through all spending associated with the World Cup, a claim which is not disputed by the governor’s office.

Initially, host cities signed up to provide free public transportation for World Cup ticketholders, as was the case at the men’s World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and at the European Championship in Germany in 2024. However, in 2023, this was renegotiated to allow cities to provide at-cost services. Yet nobody at FIFA foresaw that those prices would spiral as dramatically as they did in New York and New Jersey last month.

In a media briefing in April, a World Cup transportation plan for the region forecast that 40,000 tickets per game would be available by rail, 10,000 by bus, 6,000 by ride share options, with just more than 20,000 being commercial-organized hospitality for FIFA-related hospitality, VIPs and affiliates. Despite the increased bus availability, the plan continues for 40,000 to travel by rail — meaning many fans will still be forced to spend just under $100 on a round-trip rail fare, with no reduced pricing for seniors, children or passengers with accessibility needs.

New Jersey did cut its price last week. Gov. Sherrill on Tuesday night tweeted to thank DoorDash, Audible, FanDuel, DraftKings, PSE&G, South Jersey Industries, and American Water for providing support to bring the price down — albeit still a steep cost of $98. Asked whether NJ Transit should seek to cut prices further, Gov. Hochul said: “Lowering prices is always a good policy.”

New York state took a different approach, instead choosing to dip into public funds to help reduce transportation costs. The bus shuttle service will start ferrying fans to games from Manhattan four hours prior to kickoff and will continue to run until three hours after the final whistle.

In a statement, New York State Director of Major Event Operations Justin Brannan, “Our focus on affordability and accessibility doesn’t change just because the World Cup is in town — we’re doubling down.”

Gov. Hochul told The Athletic: “This is an event we are so excited about. As New Yorkers, this whole region is anxiously awaiting the final. But then you think: ‘What does it cost to get out there?’ You can take the train, it’s more expensive. Ubers and Lyft are going to be a lot. So I thought, how can we do it better by getting people on buses? How can we just make it cheaper? They came out with the price. OK, $80. That’s a lot of money. If it’s a dad taking a child or a couple of kids over… it’s just too expensive. I’ve been driven by affordability. Everything I look at is how I, as the governor, can make life cheaper and less expensive for New Yorkers. When they said it was $80, I said we can do better. I put up some state money to drive it down. They said $60. I said no. They said $40. I said no. $20 round trip is a good price.”

Asked whether she considers the $6 million spend a necessary use of tax dollars, she says: “My answer is this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For us to spend this amount of money to allow more New Yorkers to participate in this experience and they’ll never forget, it’s worth it to me. It’s also a really spectacular summer. We’ve got America 250, we’ve got celebrations all summer long. So this is a time for us to showcase the eyes of the world are on us. But also, if I don’t make it affordable for local New Yorkers, then we failed. That’s my objective.”

The importance of the rail service is increased during the World Cup because, while there are ordinarily 23,000 parking spaces for cars available at MetLife Stadium, this number will be vastly lower during the tournament due to security demands and space requirements of the games.

Kolluri has also asked people to work from home — if they can — to help New York City and New Jersey manage the flow of passengers during the events.

Updated ticket prices for bus services will be live from 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday, while rail tickets will be available to purchase from midnight ET on Wednesday, May 13. Tickets for both services must be booked in advance by supporters.

Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points with 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 126-97 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Tuesday.

Wembanyama, who avoided a suspension after elbowing the Timberwolves’ Naz Reid and getting ejected from the Spurs’ Game 4 loss, made 9 of 16 shots to help San Antonio shoot 53 percent from the field. The Spurs led by as many as 30 points and never trailed after taking a 7-5 lead two minutes into the game.

Despite the lopsided final score, the Timberwolves didn’t go away quietly. Minnesota stormed back from an 18-point second-quarter deficit to tie the game at 61 after crafting a 14-2 run to start the third quarter. And after trailing by 20 early in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves cut the Spurs’ lead to 11 multiple times down the stretch but couldn’t get closer.

Here are some takeaways with Game 6 set for Friday in Minnesota.

Vengeance for Wemby, Spurs

The taste of revenge must have been so sweet for Wembanyama.

He knew he had to make up for his Game 4 ejection quickly and forcefully. He delivered with 18 points and six rebounds in the first quarter. It was only the third time a player has done that in the first quarter of a playoff game in the past 30 years, per Stathead, joining LeBron James and Nikola Jokić.

Wembanyama had full command of the floor in a way only he can, setting the tone for the evening that the Spurs would dictate the game, and the Wolves would have to fight back to have a chance.

In the end, the Spurs’ defensive pressure was strong enough to push back every time the Wolves closed in. Stephon Castle was nearly perfect, and Keldon Johnson finally came alive in this series. This was a beautifully balanced performance by the Spurs against a rugged opponent that continues to claw away at them and make life a pain.

When Jaden McDaniels hit the bench in the fourth quarter and threw his towel in frustration, it became clear that the Spurs had finally grown impervious to the roughhousing. The Wolves couldn’t get in their heads anymore. Wembanyama got Game 4 out of his system and looked completely in control of Tuesday’s game from start to finish.

San Antonio has shown over the course of this series that they have enough talent in every facet of the game to answer the moment. Now they have a chance to survive — in every sense of the word — and advance.

Julius Randle’s struggles continue

The Timberwolves have to get more from Julius Randle than they are getting. Randle was 2-for-12 from the field for just eight points through three quarters, making it nearly impossible for the Timberwolves to keep pace with the Spurs.

He finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but a lot of that damage was done in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.

Randle’s failure to become a threat on offense is allowing the Spurs to devote even more attention to limiting Anthony Edwards, who took just five shots in the first half of Game 5.

Randle was one of the best players on the team in the first two rounds of last season’s playoffs, leading them to wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. But it’s been a nightmare so far in these two rounds. Randle entered the night shooting just 40 percent from the floor, including 29 percent from 3-point range.

He scored 12 points in each of Games 2, 3 and 4 after averaging 21.1 points per game during the regular season. Even worse, he had only one assist in Game 5 and has not had more than three in a game this series. That is taking away a crucial playmaking element of the Wolves’ offense after Randle led the team with five assists per game in the regular season.

Randle wasn’t alone in his struggles. Jaden McDaniels was in foul trouble for much of the game, and Rudy Gobert had just four points and five rebounds in 23 minutes.

If the Wolves don’t get a requisite game from Randle on Friday, their season will likely be over.