Yo, check it. Jason Collins, that 7-foot big man who shook up the NBA back in '13 by comin' out the closet, done passed away after battlin' a brain tumor. Sh*t’s real out here, man. Cancer don’t give a damn who you are, how much money you got, or what your sexuality is. It just takes. And it took Collins.

Before Collins came out, the NBA was a different game. It was all macho posturing and straight dude vibes. No one was really checkin' for no gay players. But Collins stepped up and said, “Nah, I'm here. I'm gay. And I'm still gonna ball.” That took guts, for real. Even though he was never an all-star, or nothing like that. He was a solid player, did his job. He was mostly on defense, rebounding and all that. Still, he was a pro.

Of course, some folks lost their minds when he came out. Haters gonna hate, that's just how it is. Some folks just can't handle seein' someone livin' their truth. But the real ones, the ones who understand what it means to be real, they showed him love. And he needed it. Backlash was coming from all sides.

Collins became an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights after that, speakin' out and tryin' to make things better for the next generation. He was tryin' to make sure that other young ballers didn't have to hide who they were. He was tryin' to change the game, not just on the court, but off it too. And that's somethin' to respect.

Now he's gone. And that hurts. It hurts because he was a pioneer, a game-changer. He showed other brothers and sisters that it's okay to be yourself, no matter what the world says. He gave a voice to the voiceless, and he stood tall in the face of adversity.

We gotta honor his memory by keepin' the fight alive. We gotta keep pushin' for equality and justice for all, regardless of their sexuality, their gender, or their skin color. We gotta make sure that Collins' sacrifice wasn't in vain. We gotta honor our heroes.

Rest in power, Jason Collins. You did your thing. You left your mark. And you'll never be forgotten. The streets feel it, for real. The LGBTQ+ community is gonna miss him. Everybody will. Respect to the brotha. 100.

Much love, yo. Let's never forget. He is survived by….well, the article don’t say. But he’s survived by a whole lotta love out here, I’m tellin’ you that much. On God.