 Nick | |
| No. 4 - Oklahoma City Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 26, 1980 (age 32)
Orange City, Iowa |
| Nationality | American |
| 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 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall |
| Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics | |
| Pro playing career | 2003–present |
| Career history | |
| 2003–present | Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
Nicholas John "Nick" Collison (born October 26, 1980) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a college player, he went to two final fours with the Kansas Jayhawks.
Early life and high school career
Collison was born in Orange City, Iowa and grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He attended Iowa Falls High School and was a McDonald's All-American in 1999.
College career
Teaming with fellow Iowan Kirk Hinrich to form one of the best duos in college basketball, Collison helped KU reach two consecutive Final Fours (2002, 2003). Collison finished his college career as the leading scorer in the history of the Big 12 Conference (since passed by Andre Emmett). In 2003, his Jayhawks lost to the Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse University Orangemen in the National Championship game, 81–78. He played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.
Collison's #4 jersey was retired by the Kansas Jayhawks at halftime of a 2004 game between Kansas and Michigan State University, in recognition of his achievements (2002–03 Player of the Year, consensus First-Team All-America, Big 12 Player of the Year). Like Hinrich, Collison played all four years in college.
NBA career
Collison was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 12th pick of the 2003 NBA Draft but missed the 2003–04 season with injuries to both shoulders. He made his regular season NBA debut on November 3, 2004 against the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 3 points in a 114–84 loss. He still plays for the same franchise, now the Oklahoma City Thunder since relocating in 2008. He and Kevin Durant are the only two players remaining from the Seattle SuperSonics era (Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka were drafted by the Sonics but the team relocated before their rookie seasons).
Since his rookie season, Collison made the power forward position his own, emerging as a valuable and solid player during 2006–07, averaging nearly double figures in points (9.6) and adding 8 rebounds per game. The following season, with slightly fewer minutes, Collison pulled down more rebounds (9.4) and points (9.8) per game.
Collison is well known for his savvy and quick defense, most notably having been among the league leaders in charges drawn several seasons in a row.
Personal life
After the decision by the owners of the team to relocate to Oklahoma City, Collison continued to make his home in Seattle.
He married Robbie Harriford in 2007 and they have a daughter, Emma Collison. His younger brother Michael played at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa.
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Regular season
| 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 | .000 | .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 |
| Career | 669 | 171 | 22.8 | .541 | .048 | .731 | 5.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .6 | 6.8 |
Playoffs
| 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 |
| Career | 65 | 0 | 19.5 | .571 | .500 | .684 | 4.6 | .8 | .6 | .6 | 5.4 |