Nicholas John Collison (born October 26, 1980) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who is a special assistant for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He spent his entire career with the Seattle SuperSonics, later renamed the Thunder in 2008. Collison was drafted by the SuperSonics in the first round of the

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

and retired as a member of the Thunder in 2018. As a college player, he went to two

Final Fours This is a list of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four participants (a third-place game was played from 1946 to 1981). Participants Teams marked with an * vacated its Final Four appearances due to violations of National ...

with the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a mem ...

Early life and high school career

Collison was born in

Orange City, Iowa Orange City is a city in, and the county seat of, Sioux County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 6,267 in the 2020 census, an increase from 5,582 in 2000. Named after William of Orange, the community maintains its Dutch settler tradition ...

and grew up in

Fort Dodge Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Cen ...

and

Iowa Falls Iowa Falls is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. Iowa Falls is the home of Ellsworth Community College. It is also a regional transportation center, located along U.S. Routes 20 and 65 and the Canadian National and Union Pacific Rai ...

. He attended Iowa Falls High School and was a McDonald's All-American in 1999.

College career

Teaming with fellow Iowan

Kirk Hinrich Kirk James Hinrich ( born January 2, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He has also been a member of the USA National Team. Growing up in Sioux City, Iowa, Hinrich was exposed to basketball at an early age. His father, ...

to form one of the best duos in college basketball, Collison helped the University of Kansas reach two consecutive

(2002 and 2003). Collison finished his college career as the leading scorer in the history of the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

(a mark since surpassed). In 2003, the Jayhawks lost to Carmelo Anthony and the Syracuse Orange in the National Championship game, 81–78. Collison also played for the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

at the

2002 FIBA World Championship The 2002 FIBA World Championship was the 14th edition of the competition now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the international world championship for men's basketball teams. The tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in ...

. Collison's No. 4 jersey was retired by the Jayhawks on November 25, 2003 during halftime of the

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

game in recognition of his achievements over his four-year career (2002–03 Player of the Year, consensus first-team All-America, Big 12 Player of the Year).

Professional career

Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder (2003–2018)

Draft year injury and relocation (2003–2008)

Collison was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 12th overall pick in the

, but missed the 2003–04 season with injuries to both shoulders. He made his NBA debut on November 3, 2004, recording two points, five rebounds and two assists in a 114–84 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Collison appeared in all 82 games in the 2004-05 season, averaging 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game. He played in all 82 games for a second time during the 2006–07 season. On January 9, 2007, Collison had a career-best game with 29 points and 21 rebounds in a 113–102 loss to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. In 2008, the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder.

Finals appearance and later years (2008–2018)

On December 19, 2010, Collison scored a season high 19 points and added eight rebounds in a 113–120 loss to the

. In the game, he also drew his 15th charge of the season, a majority of the 22 charges the Thunder had drawn as a team to that point in the season. That postseason, on May 15, 2011, Collison helped the Thunder to a Western Conference Semifinals Game 7 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, with 8 points and a playoff career high 12 rebounds. The next round, Collison and the Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals. In 2012, Collison helped the Thunder make the leap to the next level, and reach the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

, where they lost in five games to the Miami Heat, whom were led by Collison's fellow 2003 draftees LeBron James,

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA champi ...

, and Chris Bosh. On February 3, 2015, Collison signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension with the Thunder. On July 21, 2017, Collison re-signed with the Thunder to a one-year, minimum salary deal. Collison's final NBA game was played on April 11th, 2018 in a 137 - 123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies where he recorded 1 point and 1 rebound.

Retirement

On May 10, 2018, Collison announced his retirement from professional basketball. On January 12, 2019, the Thunder announced that they would be retiring Collison's No. 4 jersey, becoming the first number retired by the Thunder.

Post-playing career

Following his retirement as a player, Collison joined Thunder in the position of basketball operations representative. On August 10, 2021, he was promoted to the position of special assistant to executive Vice President and general manager.

Personal life

After the Sonics relocated to

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, Collison continued to make his home in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. Collison appeared on the cover of the

989 Sports 989 Studios was a division of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) that developed games for PlayStation consoles and Windows personal computers. Their games include ''EverQuest'', '' Twisted Metal III'', ''Twisted Metal 4'', ''Syphon Filter ...

video game NCAA Final Four 2004. The game was released on November 11, 2003 for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

. Collison has a daughter named Emma. His younger brother, Michael, played college basketball for their father's alma mater,

Briar Cliff University Briar Cliff University is a private Franciscan university in Sioux City, Iowa. History In March 1929, Mother Mary Dominica Wieneke, Major Superior of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Dubuque, Iowa, along with the Most Rev. Edmond Heelan, Bishop ...

in Sioux City, Iowa.#33 Michael Collison
/ref>

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 4 , , 17.0 , , .537 , , .000 , , .703 , , 4.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , .6 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 27 , , 21.9 , , .525 , , .000 , , .699 , , 5.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .5 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 56 , , 29.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .774 , , 8.1 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .8 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 35 , , 28.5 , , .502 , , .000 , , .737 , , 9.4 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .8 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 40 , , 25.8 , , .568 , , .000 , , .721 , , 6.9 , , .9 , , .7 , , .7 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 5 , , 20.8 , , .589 , , .250 , , .692 , , 5.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , .6 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 2 , , 21.5 , , .566 , , – , , .753 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 0 , , 20.7 , , .597, , .000 , , .710 , , 4.3 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 2 , , 19.5 , , .595 , , .000 , , .769 , , 4.1 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .4 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 0 , , 16.7 , , .556 , , .235 , , .710 , , 3.6 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 2 , , 16.7 , , .419 , , .267 , , .692 , , 3.8 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .4 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 59 , , 4 , , 11.8 , , .459 , , .000 , , .697 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .3 , , .3 , , 2.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 0 , , 6.4 , , .609 , , 000 , , .625 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .684 , , – , , .385 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.1 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 910 , , 177 , , 20.4 , , .534 , , .208 , , .723 , , 5.2 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 5.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 19.8 , , .607 , , 1.000 , , .630 , , 5.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 21.5 , , .333 , , .000 , , .429 , , 4.7 , , .3 , , .8 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 0 , , 24.3 , , .632 , , .000 , , .783 , , 5.8 , , .9 , , .9 , , .9 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 0 , , 16.6 , , .647 , , .000 , , .429 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 16.2 , , .468 , , .000 , , .917 , , 4.6 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 2 , , 10.8 , , .414 , , .400 , , .700 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 0 , , 8.8 , , .667 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .9 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 91 , , 2 , , 16.8 , , .558 , , .429 , , .682 , , 3.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , .5 , , 4.3

References

External links

Nick Collison
at nba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Collison, Nick 1980 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Iowa Centers (basketball) Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Oklahoma City Thunder players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Iowa Falls, Iowa People from Orange City, Iowa Power forwards (basketball) Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Seattle SuperSonics players United States men's national basketball team players

Early life and high school career

College career

Professional career

Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder (2003–2018)

Draft year injury and relocation (2003–2008)

Finals appearance and later years (2008–2018)

Retirement

Post-playing career

Personal life

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links