4× NBA All-Star ( 1976 – 1979 ) Consensus first-team All-American ( 1973 ) AP honorable mention All-American ( 1972 ) 2× First-team All- Midwestern (1971, 1972) No. 20 retired by Illinois State Redbirds NBA All-Star Game head coach ( 1997 ) 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. [ 1 ] 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. [ 2 ] Collins was born in Christopher, Illinois . [ 3 ] He grew up in Benton, Illinois , where his next-door neighbor was future film star John Malkovich . Collins enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Benton Consolidated High School under coach Rich Herrin . Collins went on to play for Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois , coached from 1970 by Will Robinson , the first black head coach in NCAA Division I . [ 4 ] Professional career Philadelphia 76ers (1973–1981) Collins was drafted first overall in the 1973 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers . He played eight seasons for Philadelphia, and was an NBA All-Star four times. In the 1976–77 season, he joined Julius Erving leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers . [ citation needed ] A series of injuries [ 5 ] to his feet and left knee beginning in 1979 would end Collins' career in 1981. In all, he played 415 NBA games, scoring 7,427 points (17.9 per game). Coaching career After his retirement, Collins turned to coaching. He joined Bob Weinhauer 's staff at Penn as an assistant coach and later followed Weinhauer to Arizona State for the same job. [ 6 ] He resigned from Arizona State on July 7, 1984, to become a CBS television commentator. [ 7 ] Chicago Bulls (1986–1989) In May 1986, Collins was named head coach of the Chicago Bulls ; [ 8 ] the team featured a young Michael Jordan who was entering his third season. Despite having Jordan, the Bulls were coming off a 30–52 season and had fired their past two coaches after one season each. [ 9 ] Collins immediately helped the Bulls turn their fortunes around, showing an improvement of 10 games in each of his first two seasons, coaching Chicago to a 50–32 record in his second year. In his third year as coach, he brought Chicago to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 15 years; [ 10 ] however, they were unable to get past their Central Division rival, the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons . Despite the Bulls' success and his popularity in Chicago, Collins was fired in the summer of 1989. [ 11 ] Detroit Pistons (1995–1998) Collins was named the head coach of the Detroit Pistons in 1995. His results on arrival in Detroit were similar to those in Chicago, as the Pistons had a second-year star who drew comparisons to Michael Jordan, Grant Hill . In his first season, he was able to improve the team's previous season's record by 18 games and lead them back to the playoffs, though they would be swept by the Orlando Magic . [ 12 ] A fast start in his second season pushed Hill to the top of MVP consideration and Collins was named the Eastern Conference All-Star team's coach. [ 13 ] The highlight of the year for Collins came on April 13, when the Pistons defeated the defending champion Bulls to end Detroit's 19-game losing streak against Chicago. [ 14 ] (Incidentally Collins ended a Chicago losing streak against the Pistons in the 80's.) [ 15 ] The Pistons finished 54–28 and lost in the first round of playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks , 3–2 in the best-of-five series. Collins served as Pistons' head coach until February 2, 1998, when he was fired and replaced by Alvin Gentry . Collins then became a television broadcaster, working for many years at various networks, such as NBC on the NBA on NBC and TNT on the NBA on TNT . Washington Wizards (2001–2003) Collins worked as a broadcaster for about three years before being hired to coach the Washington Wizards for the start of the 2001–02 NBA season . In Washington, Collins was reunited with Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley . Once again, in his first season with his new team, Collins improved the team's previous season's record by 18 games. [ 16 ] Though his .451 winning percentage through two seasons was better than the Wizards' .308 record the previous two seasons (and subsequent .305 record the following season), [ 16 ] Collins was fired at the conclusion of the 2002–03 season . Philadelphia 76ers (2010–2013) On May 21, 2010, Collins was hired as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers . [ 17 ] While the 76ers initially started out poorly with a record of 3–13, the team showed great improvement as the season went on, and clinched the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs . Under Collins, the team increased its win total by 14 games over the previous season . They lost to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the first round, but were able to avoid a sweep that had been predicted. Collins finished second in Coach of the Year voting that season. [ 18 ] In the lockout-shortened 2011–2012 season, Collins led the Sixers to an improved record, but Philadelphia was only able to take the eighth seed in the playoffs. Against the top seeded Chicago Bulls, Collins led the Sixers to their first playoff series victory since 2003. It was the fifth time in NBA history that an eighth seed defeated a first seed in a playoff series. They took the next series against the Boston Celtics to seven games, but lost. Collins resigned as 76ers coach on April 18, 2013, citing a need to spend more time with his five grandchildren. [ 19 ] [ 20 ] It was announced that he would stay with the team as an adviser. [ 21 ] National team career Collins represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich , West Germany. Those basketball games are remembered mainly for the controversial gold medal basketball game between the United States and the Soviet Union , in which Collins played a key part. Despite being fouled hard by a Soviet player, he made the two go-ahead free throws that should had won the game. But the final three seconds of the game after the free throws were replayed three times for unclear reasons, which let USSR to make the decisive shot. [ 22 ] The game-altering event led to the US team boycotting the medal ceremony altogether and mutually deciding to never accept their medals. [ 23 ] [ 24 ] [ 25 ] In 2008, he was part of NBC Sports ' TV coverage of basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, which notably saw his son, Chris serve as the court coach and scout for the 2008 "Redeem Team". When the American team won, he was invited to join the team on the Gold Medal ceremony. [ 25 ] He was part of the cast for Netflix's The Redeem Team in 2022. Broadcasting career Collins started doing work for CBS in the mid-1980s, calling mostly playoff games. He also was the lead color analyst for the local broadcasts of the 76ers' games during the 1985–86 season. In-between his various coaching stints he has done broadcasting work for CBS, NBC , TNT , TBS , and ABC / ESPN . He also called games for the New York Knicks during the 2003–04 season on MSG Network on a part-time basis, paired with Marv Albert . [ 26 ] After being fired by the Wizards, Collins returned to announcing games for TNT. In addition, he served as an analyst for NBC Sports ' TV coverage of basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. [ 27 ] He also was a basketball analyst for NBC during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. [ 28 ] During this time, Collins's name surfaced several times regarding head coaching vacancies. In 2005, he was a candidate for the Milwaukee Bucks job but was passed over for Terry Stotts . [ 29 ] Collins was approached by the team again in 2008 to serve as their GM and coach but turned them down again. [ 29 ] In May 2008, Collins was in negotiations to coach the Chicago Bulls, nearly 20 years after he was fired from the team. [ 30 ] However, Collins withdrew his name when he and owner Jerry Reinsdorf "agreed it wasn't the best to keep going this way," in light of their close personal friendship. [ 31 ] In 2026, Collins set to reunite with Bob Costas for NBA on NBC alongside with Mike Fratello and Jim Gray for the coverage of Philadelphia 76ers to face San Antonio Spurs on March 3. [ 32 ] Executive career Chicago Bulls (2017–present) On September 19, 2017, the Chicago Bulls announced that Collins had joined the team as senior advisor of basketball operations. [ 33 ] Collins and his wife Kathy have two children. They reside in the Philadelphia metropolitan area . Their son Chris , a former Duke University basketball player, is the head basketball coach at Northwestern University and their daughter Kelly, who played basketball at Lehigh University , is a school teacher in Pennsylvania . [ 34 ] Awards and honors Illinois State University's basketball court is named after Collins (Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena ). A statue depicting Collins and his ISU coach, Will Robinson , was unveiled on September 19, 2009, outside the north entrance of Redbird Arena. Collins was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois on June 19, 2021. [ 35 ] Career statistics Head coaching record ↑ "Ex-76ers coach Doug Collins joins ESPN as analyst" . ESPN.com . October 8, 2013 . Retrieved October 8, 2013 . ↑ " Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announces 13 inductees for Class of 2024" , NBA.com, April 6, 2024 accessed April 6, 2024. ↑ Tribune, Chicago (2016). The Chicago Tribune Book of the Chicago Bulls: A Decade-by-Decade History . Agate. ISBN 9781572847835 . ↑ "Legendary Coach Robinson Passes Away: Robinson was the first African American coach in NCAA history." Archived July 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine www.goredbirds.com , April 28, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2013. ↑ "Doug Collins' Career Highlights" . Chicago Tribune . May 21, 1986. ↑ "Philadelphia 76ers Name Doug Collins Head Coach – 5/21/2010" , NBA.com, May 25, 2010 accessed June 5, 2010. ↑ "Arizona State University assistant basketball coach Doug Collins has..." UPI . July 7, 1984 . Retrieved January 14, 2024 . ↑ "Bulls Sign Collins For 2 Years" . chicagotribune.com . May 23, 1986. ↑ " 'Stunned' Albeck Fired" . Chicago Tribune . May 20, 1986. ↑ "BULLS: History of the Chicago Bulls" . Nba.com . Retrieved November 8, 2011 . ↑ "Despite Bulls' Success, They Fire Doug Collins" . Associated Press . July 7, 1989 . Retrieved April 28, 2014 . ↑ "Grant Hill played for new Sixers coach Collins and recommends him highly" . www.philly.com . May 24, 2010. Archived from the original on June 29, 2010. ↑ Smith, Sam (May 2, 1997). "Doug Collins Making All The Right Moves" . Chicago Tribune . ↑ Addy, Steve; Karzen, Jeffrey F. (June 22, 2017). The Detroit Pistons: More Than Four Decades of Motor City Memories . Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 9781582615530 – via Google Books. ↑ "Collins' Day: Good Tie, Good Cry—and Victory" . Chicago Tribune . April 14, 1997. 1 2 "76ers hire Doug Collins as head coach" . InsideHoops. May 23, 1986. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015 . Retrieved November 8, 2011 . ↑ "Philadelphia 76ers Name Doug Collins Head Coach" . NBA.com . May 21, 2010 . Retrieved May 21, 2010 . ↑ "Sixers' Doug Collins Finishes Second In NBA Coach Of The Year Voting" . May 2011. ↑ "Collins out as 76ers coach, takes new role" . April 18, 2013. ↑ Helin, Kurt (October 8, 2013). "Doug Collins says he is done coaching, the business has changed" . ↑ Gelston, Dan (April 18, 2013). "It's official: Doug Collins resigns as 76ers coach" . USA Today . Gannett Company . Retrieved October 26, 2014 . ↑ Golden, Daniel (July 23, 2012). "Three Seconds At 1972 Olympics Haunt U.S. Basketball" . Bloomberg.com . ↑ "Doug Collins gives Team USA unique perspective on Olympic hoops" . www.nba.com . Retrieved October 2, 2024 . ↑ Chicago, Classic (September 10, 2022). "The 50th Anniversary of the Most Controversial Finish in Sports History | Classic Chicago Magazine" . classicchicagomagazine.com . Retrieved October 2, 2024 . 1 2 Netflix -The Redeem Team ↑ Sandomir, Richard (September 11, 2003). "SPORTS BRIEFING: PRO BASKETBALL; Collins to Work on MSG" . The New York Times . Retrieved July 30, 2024 . ↑ "Medium Well: Your NBC Olympics lineup – A blog on sports media, news and networks – baltimoresun.com" . Weblogs.baltimoresun.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008 . Retrieved November 8, 2011 . ↑ "Medium Well: NBC's London Olympic announcers: Who's new and who's back – usatoday.com" . USA Today . June 28, 2012 . Retrieved March 30, 2013 . 1 2 Vecsey, Peter (March 30, 2008). "Grizzly Situation" . New York Post . Archived from the original on June 6, 2011 . Retrieved December 28, 2009 . ↑ "Bulls poised to hire Collins as Coach" , ESPN, May 30, 2008 accessed December 28, 2009. ↑ "Collins, Reinsdorf agree coaching search continues … minus Collins " , ESPN, June 6, 2008 accessed December 28, 2009. ↑ "BOB COSTAS, DOUG COLLINS, MIKE FRATELLO, JIM GRAY, HANNAH STORM, ISIAH THOMAS AND P.J. CARLESIMO RETURN TO NBC SPORTS IN THROWBACK NBA BROADCAST MARCH 3 SAN ANTONIO SPURS AT PHILADELPHIA 76ERS" . NBC Sports . February 26, 2026 . Retrieved February 26, 2026 . ↑ Smith, Sam (September 19, 2017). "Collins returns to the Bulls" . NBA.com . Retrieved September 25, 2017 . ↑ "Doug Collins (1998) - Hall of Fame" . mvc-sports.com . Retrieved March 12, 2026 . ↑ The Lincoln Academy of Illinois (January 9, 2020). "56th Laureate Convocation – Chicago History Museum" . Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Career statistics from NBA.com · Basketball Reference Johnny Kerr (1966–1968) Dick Motta (1968–1976) Ed Badger (1976–1978) Larry Costello (1978–1979) Scotty Robertson # (1979) Jerry Sloan (1979–1982) Phil Johnson # (1982) Rod Thorn # (1982) Paul Westhead (1982–1983) Kevin Loughery (1983–1985) Stan Albeck (1985–1986) Doug Collins (1986–1989) Phil Jackson (1989–1998) Tim Floyd (1998–2001) Bill Berry # (2001) Bill Cartwright (2001–2003) Pete Myers # (2003) Scott Skiles (2003–2007) Pete Myers # (2007) Jim Boylan # (2007–2008) Vinny Del Negro (2008–2010) Tom Thibodeau (2010–2015) Fred Hoiberg (2015–2018) Jim Boylen (2018–2020) Billy Donovan (2020–2026) Tiago Splitter (2026–) # denotes interim head coach Carl Bennett (1941–1943) Bobby McDermott (1943–1945) Carl Bennett (1945–1946) Bobby McDermott (1946) Carl Bennett (1946–1947) Curly Armstrong # (1947) Carl Bennett (1947–1948) Curly Armstrong (1948–1949) Murray Mendenhall (1949–1951) Paul Birch (1951–1954) Charley Eckman (1954–1957) Red Rocha (1957–1960) Dick McGuire (1959–1963) Charles Wolf (1963–1964) Dave DeBusschere (1964–1967) Donnie Butcher (1967–1968) Paul Seymour (1968–1969) Butch van Breda Kolff (1969–1971) Terry Dischinger (1971) Earl Lloyd (1971–1972) Ray Scott (1972–1976) Herb Brown (1976–1977) Bob Kauffman # (1977–1978) Dick Vitale (1978–1979) Richie Adubato # (1979–1980) Scotty Robertson (1980–1983) Chuck Daly (1983–1992) Ron Rothstein (1992–1993) Don Chaney (1993–1995) Doug Collins (1995–1998) Alvin Gentry (1998–2000) George Irvine (2000–2001) Rick Carlisle (2001–2003) Larry Brown (2003–2005) Flip Saunders (2005–2008) Michael Curry (2008–2009) John Kuester (2009–2011) Lawrence Frank (2011–2013) Maurice Cheeks (2013–2014) John Loyer # (2014) Stan Van Gundy (2014–2018) Dwane Casey (2018–2023) Monty Williams (2023–2024) J. B. Bickerstaff (2024–present) # denotes interim head coach Fred Zollner (1954–1957) Otto Adams (1957) Fred DeLano (1957–1958) Nick Kerbawy (1958–1961) Fran Smith (1961–1964) Don Wattrick (1964–1965) Ed Coil (1966–1975) Oscar Feldman (1975–1977) Bob Kauffman (1977–1978) Oscar Feldman # (1978–1979) Jack McCloskey (1979–1992) Billy McKinney (1992–1995) Doug Collins (1995–1998) Rick Sund (1998–2000) Joe Dumars (2000–2014) Jeff Bower (2014–2018) Ed Stefanski (2018–2020) Troy Weaver (2020–2024) # denotes interim general manager Jim Pollard (1961–1962) Jack McMahon (1962) Bobby Leonard (1962–1964) Buddy Jeannette (1964–1965) Paul Seymour (1965–1966) Mike Farmer (1966) Buddy Jeannette # (1966) Gene Shue (1966–1973) K.C. Jones (1973–1976) Dick Motta (1976–1980) Gene Shue (1980–1986) Kevin Loughery (1986–1988) Wes Unseld (1988–1994) Jim Lynam (1994–1997) Bob Staak # (1997) Bernie Bickerstaff (1997–1999) Jim Brovelli # (1999) Gar Heard (1999–2000) Darrell Walker # (2000) Leonard Hamilton (2000–2001) Doug Collins (2001–2003) Eddie Jordan (2003–2008) Ed Tapscott (2008–2009) Flip Saunders (2009–2012) Randy Wittman (2012–2016) Scott Brooks (2016–2021) Wes Unseld Jr. (2021–2024) Brian Keefe (2024–present) # denotes interim head coach Bennie Borgmann (1946–1947) George Mingin # (1947) Jerry Rizzo (1947) Bennie Borgmann (1947–1948) Emil Barboni # (1948) Danny Biasone (1948) Al Cervi (1948–1956) Paul Seymour (1956–1960) Alex Hannum (1960–1963) Dolph Schayes (1963–1966) Alex Hannum (1966–1968)

Jack Ramsay (1968–1972) Roy Rubin (1972–1973) Kevin Loughery # (1973) Gene Shue (1973–1977) Billy Cunningham (1977–1985) Matt Guokas (1985–1988) Jim Lynam (1988–1992) Doug Moe (1992–1993) Fred Carter (1993–1994) John Lucas II (1994–1996) Johnny Davis (1996–1997) Larry Brown (1997–2003) Randy Ayers (2003–2004) Chris Ford # (2004) Jim O'Brien (2004–2005) Maurice Cheeks (2005–2008) Tony DiLeo # (2008–2009) Eddie Jordan (2009–2010) Doug Collins (2010–2013) Brett Brown (2013–2020) Doc Rivers (2020–2023) Nick Nurse (2023– ) # denotes interim head coach Ernie DiGregorio Kermit Washington 1948 : Tonkovich 1951 : Melchiorre 1955 : Ricketts 1960 : Robertson 1969 : Alcindor 1972 : L. Martin 1975 : D. Thompson 1978 : M. Thompson 1979 : E. Johnson 1984 : Olajuwon 1986 : Brad Daugherty 1987 : D. Robinson 1991 : L. Johnson 1994 : G. Robinson 1998 : Olowokandi 2000 : K. Martin 2006 : Bargnani 2019 : Williamson 2021 : Cunningham 2022 : Banchero 2023 : Wembanyama 2024 : Risacher 2026 : Dybantsa Ernie DiGregorio Kermit Washington Nick Weatherspoon George McGinnis Billy Schaeffer Patrick McFarland Gary Melchionni NBA Showtime/Basketball Night in America NBC Sunday Night Basketball Coast 2 Coast Tuesday NBA Inside Stuff College Basketball on NBC Olympics on NBC NBA on television ( NBA Finals ratings ) NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC 2002 FIBA World Championship Paul Sunderland P. J. Carlesimo Mike Dunleavy Sr. Cotton Fitzsimmons Brian Scalabrine Ashley ShahAhmadi Carmelo Anthony Brian Scalabrine Jayson Williams 1955 (Games 2, 6) 1957 (Games 1, 7) 1959 (Games 1–2) 1960 (Games 1, 3–4, 7) 1961 (Games 1, 3–4) 1962 (Games 1–2) 1997 (single game) 1998 (Games 1–2) 1999 (Games 2–3) " Roundball Rock " " Roundball Rock " " A SPECTACULAR move by Michael Jordan! " "The Charles Smith Game" Paxson's series winner The Clock Incident (1994) O. J. Simpson high speed chase Eight points in nine seconds Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals Memorial Day Miracle " Kings-Lakers 2002 WCF " Inside the NBA Shaqtin' a Fool Shaqtin' a Fool NBA All-Star weekend College Basketball on TNT Sports NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship commentators NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship NBA on television Verne Lundquist Pete Van Wieren P. J. Carlesimo Mike Dunleavy Sr. Rebecca Haarlow Ros Gold-Onwude Jared Greenberg Stephanie Ready Ernie Johnson Jr. Charles Barkley Shaquille O'Neal NBA outdoor games Disputed foul against Scottie Pippen 13 points in 35 seconds First-ever Game 7 buzzer beater NBA All-Star weekend NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship NBA on television Atlanta Hawks announcers Verne Lundquist Pete Van Wieren Hot Rod Hundley Oscar Robertson Ernie Johnson Jr. Celtics–Pistons rivalry Inside the NBA Shaqtin' a Fool Shaqtin' a Fool NBA Saturday Primetime NBA Sunday Showcase NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad NBA Inside Stuff College Basketball on ABC Olympics on ABC NBA on TV ( NBA Finals TV ratings ) WNBA All-Star Game 1965 (Games 1, 5) 1966 (Games 1, 5) 1967 (Games 2, 5) 1968 (Games 1, 4) 1969 (Games 3, 5–7) 2023 (Games 1, 3) "I think we see Willis coming out!" "The Block (2016)" Cavaliers–Warriors "Malice at the Palace" 2004: Falkenstien 2014: Andariese 2024: Antonelli 2025: Blaha and Kellogg 2026: Carrino & Fratello 1998: Donald & Weiss 2001: Kirkpatrick 2002: O'Connell 2010: MacMullan 2013: Feinstein 2014: Gilmartin 2018: Bernstein 2021: Greenberg 2020: Inside the NBA 2023: CBS Sports 2024: NBA Inside Stuff & Slam 2025: Wojnarowski Seimone Augustus Chauncey Billups 1948–1982 Wayland Baptist women's teams 1956–57 Tennessee A&I State men's team 1957–58 Tennessee A&I State men's team 1958–59 Tennessee A&I State men's team 1960 United States men's Olympic team 1965–66 Texas Western men's team 1976 United States women's Olympic team 1992 United States men's Olympic team 1996 United States women's Olympic team 2008 United States men's Olympic team All-American Red Heads Buffalo Germans Harlem Globetrotters Immaculata College New York Renaissance Original Celtics 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1972 Summer Olympics Basketball coaches from Illinois Basketball players from Illinois Chicago Bulls head coaches College basketball announcers in the United States Denver Rockets draft picks Detroit Pistons head coaches First overall NBA draft picks Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball players Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics NBA broadcasters New York Nets draft picks Olympic silver medalists for the United States in basketball People from Benton, Illinois People from Christopher, Illinois Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers head coaches Philadelphia 76ers players Shooting guards United States men's national basketball team players Washington Wizards head coaches Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use mdy dates from January 2019 Webarchive template wayback links All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 BLP articles lacking sources from October 2021 All BLP articles lacking sources