Last Updated on April 17, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Doug CollinsHere is detailed information about Doug Collins:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Paul Douglas Collins
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born July 28, 1951
  • Hometown: Christopher, Illinois, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m)
  • Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 7 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 15 (US)
  • Number: 20
  • Position: Shooting Guard / Small Forward
  • High School: Benton High School (Benton, Illinois)
  • College: Illinois State University
    • Three-time All-American
    • 1972 U.S. Olympic Team member
    • Holds Illinois State records in career scoring (2,240 points) and season scoring (847 points)
  • NBA Draft: Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 1st overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft
  • Teams Played For
    • Philadelphia 76ers (1973–1981)
  • Coaching Career
    1. Chicago Bulls (1986–1989)
    2. Detroit Pistons (1995–1998)
    3. Washington Wizards (2001–2003)
    4. Philadelphia 76ers (2010–2013)
  • Championship Rings
    • NBA Championships as a player: None
    • Olympic Achievements: Played for Team USA in the 1972 Olympics and scored crucial free throws in the controversial gold-medal game against the Soviet Union.
  • Kids:
    • Son: Chris Collins, currently the head coach for Northwestern University’s men’s basketball team.
    • Daughter: Kelly Collins, who works in education and community development.
  • Siblings: Not widely documented.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Doug Collins’s player archetype was that of a scoring shooting guard, a tall backcourt scorer who blended polished jump shooting with secondary playmaking rather than operating as a pure table-setting point guard. Listed by NBA.com at 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds, Collins had good size for a guard, and contemporary league retrospectives describe him as one of the NBA’s better guards before injuries cut his career short. Offensively, his role was built around perimeter scoring, mid-range creation, and efficient guard play, while defensively he fit best as a competitive positional defender who could use his size on the wing and in the backcourt without being defined as a specialist stopper. His overall play style was smooth and attack-minded: a skilled, upright shooting guard who could score in volume, handle enough to create for himself, and give structure to an offense from the two-guard spot. (Basketball Reference)

Fun Facts

  • Collins was part of the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team that controversially lost the gold medal game to the Soviet Union.
  • His playing career was cut short due to recurring injuries.
  • After coaching, Collins became a well-known NBA analyst for networks like NBC, TNT, and ESPN.
  • As head coach of the Chicago Bulls, Collins helped develop a young Michael Jordan in the late 1980s.
  • Renowned for his basketball IQ, both as a player and as a coach, Collins left an enduring mark on the NBA through his contributions on and off the court.

Sources:

NBA.com — Doug Collins | Guard | Philadelphia 76ers
NBA.com — Doug Collins named to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2024
Basketball Reference — Doug Collins Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame — Doug Collins