Doug Collins

Former Bulls coach and Hall of Fame inductee Doug Collins

Paul Douglas Collins (born July 28, 1951) is an American basketball executive, former player, coach and television analyst in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1973 to 1981 for the Philadelphia 76ers, earning four NBA All-Star selections. He then became an NBA coach in 1986, and had stints coaching the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. Collins also served as an analyst for various NBA-related broadcast shows. He is a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award. In April 2024, Collins was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2024 by the Contributors Committee.

Quick Facts

Born: 28 July 1951
Birthplace: Christopher, Illinois, U.S.
High school: Benton (Benton, Illinois)
College: Illinois State (1970–1973)
Draft round: 1
Drafted by: Philadelphia 76ers
Career position: Shooting guard
Career number: 20

Lore & Background

Collins was born in Christopher, Illinois, and grew up in Benton, Illinois, where his next-door neighbor was future film star John Malkovich. He played college basketball at Illinois State University under coach Will Robinson, the first black head coach in NCAA Division I. He was drafted first overall in the 1973 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and played eight seasons for them, reaching the NBA Finals in 1976–77. After retiring due to injuries, he became a coach, leading the Chicago Bulls to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 15 years in 1989.

He also coached the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers, and served as a television analyst for multiple networks. Collins represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics, where the controversial gold medal game against the Soviet Union occurred. He joined the Chicago Bulls as senior advisor of basketball operations in 2017.

Reader's Guide

It states only that the court is named after Collins (Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena).

Did You Know?

Collins coached Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls and later coached Jordan again with the Washington Wizards.
He was part of the controversial 1972 Olympic gold medal game, making two go-ahead free throws that were nullified by repeated replays of the final three seconds.
Collins's son Chris is the head basketball coach at Northwestern University.