Jason Collins, the first openly gay basketball player in NBA history, died Tuesday after a months-long battle with brain cancer. He was 47.

Collins died from glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, and had been battling the disease for the last eight months, his family stated, according to KXAN.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma. Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to 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,” the family said in a statement obtained by KXAN.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also announced Collins’ death and spoke highly of him and his achievements, saying that his “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations. He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares ambassador,” he said in a statement obtained by ESPN.

He continued, “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

In December, Collins revealed that he had stage 4 glioblastoma. Months earlier, in September, he disclosed that he was undergoing treatment after experiencing symptoms in August, Blavity reported.

“I had been having weird symptoms like this for a week or two, but unless something is really wrong, I’m going to push through. I’m an athlete,” he wrote in an essay for ESPN.

Details on Collins’ NBA career and his reveal as an openly gay athlete

Collins was selected 13th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. He played for several teams during his 13 years in the league, including the two Nets teams that made the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, as well as the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards, per The New York Times and KXAN.

After years in the NBA, Collins made a significant decision that would impact his life on and off the court. In May 2013, he officially came out in an essay he wrote for Sports Illustrated.

“I’m Black. And I’m gay. I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation,” he wrote.

His decision was inspired by his friend and former Stanford University roommate, Joe Kennedy, a congressman from Massachusetts at the time, who chose to march in a Pride parade in Boston, per The Times.

“I’m seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy,” Collins wrote in the essay. “I was proud of him for participating but angry that, as a closeted gay man, I couldn’t even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator.”

Collins received widespread support from fellow athletes and political figures, including the late Kobe Bryant and former President Barack Obama. However, not everyone welcomed the presence of gay athletes in the league or the advancements in gay rights and marriage across the nation. The following year, Collins retired from the NBA in 2014.

He is survived by his husband, Brunson Green, a film producer, and his family, including twin brother Jarron, who played 10 years in the league, mostly with the Utah Jazz. Jarron is now an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans, according to The Times