Nicholas John Collison (born October 26, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who is a special assistant for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He spent his entire career with the organization originally known as the Seattle SuperSonics, which became the Thunder in 2008. Collison was drafted by the SuperSonics in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft and retired as a member of the Thunder in 2018. As a college player, he went to two Final Fours as a member of the Kansas Jayhawks. Collison won his first NBA Championship in 2025 as an executive for the Thunder.
 Collison with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2010 | |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Title | Special assistant to the General Manager |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 26, 1980 Orange City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Iowa Falls (Iowa Falls, Iowa) |
| College | Kansas (1999–2003) |
| NBA draft | 2003: 1st round, 12th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Playing career | 2003–2018 |
| Position | Power forward / center |
| Number | 4 |
| Career history | |
| 2003–2018 | Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 5,359 (5.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,701 (5.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 939 (1.0 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editCollison was born in Orange City, Iowa and grew up in Fort Dodge and Iowa Falls. He attended Iowa Falls High School and was a McDonald's All-American in 1999.
College career
editTeaming with fellow Iowan Kirk Hinrich to form one of the best duos in college basketball, Collison helped the University of Kansas reach two consecutive Final Fours (2002 and 2003). Collison finished his college career as the leading scorer in the history of the Big 12 Conference (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 at the 2002 FIBA World Championship.[1]
Collison's No. 4 jersey was retired by the Jayhawks on November 25, 2003, during halftime of the Kansas-Michigan State 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).[2]
Professional career
editSeattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder (2003–2018)
editDraft year injury and relocation (2003–2008)
editCollison was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 12th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft but missed the 2003–04 season with injuries to both shoulders.[3] 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, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 17 minutes per game.[4] He played in all 82 games for a second time during the 2006–07 season, averaging 9.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 29 minutes per game.[5] 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.[6] In 2008, the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder.
Finals appearance and later years (2008–2018)
edit
On December 19, 2010, Collison scored a season-high 19 points and added eight rebounds in a 120–113 loss to the Phoenix Suns. 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.[7] That postseason, on May 15, 2011, Collison helped the Thunder to a Western Conference Semifinals Game 7 105–90 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, with eight points and a playoff career-high 12 rebounds.[8] In the Western Conference Finals, Collison and the Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
In 2012, Collison helped the Thunder make the leap to the next level and reach the NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to the Miami Heat, who were led by Collison's fellow 2003 draftees LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
On February 3, 2015, Collison signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension with the Thunder.[9][10]
On July 21, 2017, Collison re-signed with the Thunder to a one-year, minimum salary deal.[11][12] His final NBA game was played on April 11, 2018, a 137–123 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, where Collison recorded a point and a rebound.
Retirement
editPost-playing career
editFollowing his retirement as a player, Collison joined the Thunder in the position of basketball operations representative. On August 10, 2021, he was promoted to the position of special assistant to the executive vice president and general manager (currently Sam Presti).[15]
Collison won his first NBA Championship as an executive in 2025 after the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games.[16]
Personal life
editAfter the Sonics relocated to Oklahoma City, Collison continued to make his home in Seattle.[17][18]
Collison appeared on the cover of the 989 Sports video game NCAA Final Four 2004. The game was released on November 11, 2003, for the PlayStation 2.[19]
Collison has three children.[20][21][22] His younger brother, Michael, played college basketball for their father's alma mater, Briar Cliff University, in Sioux City, Iowa.[23]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Kansas | 34 | 33 | 22.8 | .497 | .385 | .674 | 6.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .9 | 10.5 |
| 2000–01 | Kansas | 33 | 23 | 27.0 | .597 | .400 | .625 | 6.7 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 14.0 |
| 2001–02 | Kansas | 37* | 36 | 26.8 | .592 | .375 | .575 | 8.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 15.6 |
| 2002–03 | Kansas | 38* | 38 | 32.4 | .554 | .342 | .635 | 10.0 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 18.5 |
| Career | 142 | 130 | 27.4 | .562 | .359 | .624 | 8.0 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 14.8 | |
NBA
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Seattle | 82 | 4 | 17.0 | .537 | .000 | .703 | 4.6 | .4 | .4 | .6 | 5.6 |
| 2005–06 | Seattle | 66 | 27 | 21.9 | .525 | .000 | .699 | 5.6 | 1.1 | .3 | .5 | 7.5 |
| 2006–07 | Seattle | 82* | 56 | 29.0 | .500 | .000 | .774 | 8.1 | 1.0 | .6 | .8 | 9.6 |
| 2007–08 | Seattle | 78 | 35 | 28.5 | .502 | .000 | .737 | 9.4 | 1.4 | .6 | .8 | 9.8 |
| 2008–09 | Oklahoma City | 71 | 40 | 25.8 | .568 | .000 | .721 | 6.9 | .9 | .7 | .7 | 8.2 |
| 2009–10 | Oklahoma City | 75 | 5 | 20.8 | .589 | .250 | .692 | 5.1 | .5 | .5 | .6 | 5.9 |
| 2010–11 | Oklahoma City | 71 | 2 | 21.5 | .566 | – | .753 | 4.5 | 1.0 | .6 | .4 | 4.6 |
| 2011–12 | Oklahoma City | 63 | 0 | 20.7 | .597 | .000 | .710 | 4.3 | 1.3 | .5 | .4 | 4.5 |
| 2012–13 | Oklahoma City | 81 | 2 | 19.5 | .595 | .000 | .769 | 4.1 | 1.5 | .6 | .4 | 5.1 |
| 2013–14 | Oklahoma City | 81 | 0 | 16.7 | .556 | .235 | .710 | 3.6 | 1.3 | .4 | .3 | 4.2 |
| 2014–15 | Oklahoma City | 66 | 2 | 16.7 | .419 | .267 | .692 | 3.8 | 1.4 | .5 | .4 | 4.1 |
| 2015–16 | Oklahoma City | 59 | 4 | 11.8 | .459 | .000 | .697 | 2.9 | .9 | .3 | .3 | 2.1 |
| 2016–17 | Oklahoma City | 20 | 0 | 6.4 | .609 | 000 | .625 | 1.6 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 1.7 |
| 2017–18 | Oklahoma City | 15 | 0 | 5.0 | .684 | – | .385 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 2.1 |
| Career | 910 | 177 | 20.4 | .534 | .208 | .723 | 5.2 | 1.0 | .5 | .5 | 5.9 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Seattle | 11 | 0 | 19.8 | .607 | 1.000 | .630 | 5.0 | .5 | .3 | .5 | 8.4 |
| 2010 | Oklahoma City | 6 | 0 | 21.5 | .333 | .000 | .429 | 4.7 | .3 | .8 | .2 | 3.2 |
| 2011 | Oklahoma City | 17 | 0 | 24.3 | .632 | .000 | .783 | 5.8 | .9 | .9 | .9 | 6.7 |
| 2012 | Oklahoma City | 20 | 0 | 16.6 | .647 | .000 | .429 | 3.4 | 1.0 | .6 | .3 | 3.5 |
| 2013 | Oklahoma City | 11 | 0 | 16.2 | .468 | .000 | .917 | 4.6 | 1.1 | .5 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| 2014 | Oklahoma City | 17 | 2 | 10.8 | .414 | .400 | .700 | 2.2 | .8 | .2 | .4 | 1.9 |
| 2016 | Oklahoma City | 9 | 0 | 8.8 | .667 | .000 | .500 | 1.2 | .6 | .9 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 91 | 2 | 16.8 | .558 | .429 | .682 | 3.8 | .8 | .6 | .5 | 4.3 | |
See also
edit
References
edit- ↑ "Collison Named Alternate On USA World Championship Team". big12sports.com. June 12, 2002.
- ↑ "COLLISON'S JERSEY TO BE RETIRED". Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Collison needs surgery on both shoulders". espn.com. October 5, 2003.
- ↑ "Nick Collison 2004–05 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ↑ "Nick Collison 2006-07 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Suns Win Seventh Straight, Beat Sonics". NBA.com. January 10, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ↑ "Nick Collison contributing key minutes". December 19, 2010.
- ↑ "Game Recap - Playoffs Round 2 Game 7 vs Memphis Grizzlies". NBA.com.
- ↑ "Thunder Signs Nick Collison to Contract Extension". www.nba.com.
- ↑ "Thunder sign Nick Collison to two-year, nearly $8 million contract extension". NBC Sports. February 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Thunder Signs Nick Collison". www.nba.com.
- ↑ "Collison signs new contract with Thunder". ESPN.com. July 21, 2017.
- ↑ Gallo, Nick (May 10, 2018). "Seeing Off a True Pro – Thunder Fan Favorite Nick Collison Retires". NBA.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ↑ "Thunder Set to Retire Nick Collison's No. 4". NBA.com. January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- ↑ "Nick Collison To Take On New Role In Thunder Front Office". Oklahoma City Thunder. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ↑ Davis, Dillon (June 23, 2025). "Former Jayhawk Nick Collison Wins NBA Championship with Oklahoma City Thunder". Kansas Jayhawks On SI. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ↑ WASHBURN, GARY (August 27, 2008). "Collison reflects on Sonics' relocation". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ↑ "Need a view? Nick Collison's Queen Anne home "without rival"".
- ↑ "College Hoops Sensation Nick Collison Signs as Cover Athlete For NCAA Final Four 2004 by 989 Sports". www.sony.com.
- ↑ "The Nick Collison Guest Blog, Vol. 1: How I Spent My (Extended) Summer Vacation". GQ. December 22, 2011.
- ↑ "Super Sonic Wedding Superb! Doing it Right at Court in the Square, Hotel 1000, and Pravda!". JanetKlinger.com. August 20, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ↑ Almanza, Clemente; read, OKC Thunder Wire·3 min (July 3, 2025). "Nick Collison pens letter to Thunder fans after 2025 NBA championship". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ "#33 Michael Collison". Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from NBA.com · Basketball Reference
- Nick Collison at nba.com