Doug Collins

Doug Collins is an American basketball executive, former player, coach, and television analyst who was recently elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He has played in the National Basketball Association for the Philadelphia 76ers for 8 seasons.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Paul Douglas Collins was born on July 28, 1951, in Christopher, Illinois, USA. He grew up in Benton, Illinois, where his next-door neighbor was future film star John Malkovich. He stands 198 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 82 kg.

Collins and his wife Kathy have two children and reside in the Delaware Valley. Their son Chris Collins, a former Duke University basketball player, is the head basketball coach at Northwestern University. Their daughter Kelly Collins played basketball at Lehigh University.

High School and College Career

Collins enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Benton Consolidated High School under Coach Rich Herrin.

He then played college basketball at Illinois State University from 1970 to 1973, where he was coached by Will Robinson, the first Black head coach in NCAA Division I.

During his collegiate career, Collins was named a Consensus first-team All-American in 1973 and an AP honorable mention All-American in 1972. He was also a two-time First-team All-Midwestern selection (1971, 1972).

Collins holds Illinois State records in career scoring (2,240), season scoring (847), career field goals made (894), and season field goals made (352).

His jersey number 20 was retired by the Illinois State Redbirds, and the floor at Illinois State's CEFCU Arena was renamed "Doug Collins Court" in 2007.

Professional Career

Selected 1st overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1973 NBA Draft, Collins played eight seasons for the team.

He was a four-time NBA All-Star (1976-1979) and in the 1976-77 season, he joined Julius Erving in leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers.

One of his most iconic performances came in 1976, when he scored 42 points in a single game against the Boston Celtics, hitting 18 of 25 shots and adding seven rebounds and four assists.

A series of injuries to his feet and left knee beginning in 1979 would end Collins' playing career in 1981.

Coaching Career

After his retirement as a player, Collins turned to coaching. He served as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania and Arizona State University. Later, he became the head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1986, where he coached a young Michael Jordan.

In his three seasons with the Bulls, Collins improved the team's record each year and led them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1989.

Collins later coached the Detroit Pistons (1995-1998), Washington Wizards (2001-2003), and Philadelphia 76ers (2010-2013).

With the Pistons, he coached Grant Hill and was named the Eastern Conference All-Star team's coach in 1997.

In his first season with the 76ers, Collins increased the team's win total by 14 games over the previous season and finished second in Coach of the Year voting. During the 2011-2012 season, he led the Sixers to their first playoff series victory since 2003.

Broadcasting Career

Between coaching stints, Collins worked as a television broadcaster for various networks, including NBC and TNT.

Career Highlights:

• 1976-1979 - NBA All-Star (4x)
• 1973 - Consensus first-team All-American
• 1972 - AP honorable mention All-American
• 1971, 1972 - First-team All-Midwestern (2x)
• 1997 - NBA All-Star Game Head Coach
• 2024 - Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
• 2016 - National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee

Medal Record, Men's Basketball Representing the United States

• Silver - 1972 Summer Olympics Munich