Jason Collins facts for kids

This page is about the basketball player. For the surfer, see Jason Collins (surfer).

Quick facts for kids
Jason Collins
Personal information
Collins with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014
Born	(1978-12-02) December 2, 1978 (age 46) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
High school	Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles, California)
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
College	Stanford (1997–2001)
NBA Draft	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Pro career	2001–2014
Career history
2001–2008	New Jersey Nets
2008	Memphis Grizzlies
2008–2009	Minnesota Timberwolves
2009–2012	Atlanta Hawks
2012–2013	Boston Celtics
2013	Washington Wizards
2014	Brooklyn Nets

Career highlights and awards
Third-team All-American – NABC (2001) Pete Newell Big Man Award (2001) First-team All-Pac-10 (2001) Fourth-team Parade All-American (1997)

Career NBA statistics
Points	2,621 (3.6 ppg)
Rebounds	2,706 (3.7 rpg)
Assists	626 (0.9 apg)

Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played as a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Collins played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal. He was an All-American in 2000–01.

The Houston Rockets selected Collins as the 18th pick in the 2001 NBA draft. He played for several teams, including the New Jersey Nets and Brooklyn Nets. After the 2012–13 NBA season, Collins made a brave personal announcement. He became the first athlete in a major North American professional sports league to share this part of his life publicly. In April 2014, Time Magazine featured him on its "100 Most Influential People in the World" cover.

Early Life and High School Basketball
College Career at Stanford
Professional NBA Career
Player Skills and Impact
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular season
- Playoffs
Awards and Recognition
See also

Early Life and High School Basketball

Jason Collins was born in Los Angeles, California, in the Northridge area. He has a twin brother, Jarron, who also became an NBA player. Jason was born eight minutes before Jarron.

Both brothers went to Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. They won two state titles in California during their four years there. Their team's record was an amazing 123 wins and only 10 losses. Jason broke the California record for career rebounds with 1,500.

College Career at Stanford

Collins played basketball at Stanford University with his brother Jarron. They played for the Cardinal team in the Pacific-10 Conference. In 2001, Collins was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. The National Association of Basketball Coaches also voted him onto their third-team All-American team.

He finished his college career as Stanford's all-time leader in field goal percentage (.608). He was also third in blocked shots with 89.

Professional NBA Career

New Jersey Nets (2001–2008)

As a rookie, Collins played a big part in the New Jersey Nets reaching their first-ever NBA Finals in 2002. They played against the Los Angeles Lakers. Collins later said he wasn't actually 7 feet tall, despite being listed that way. He was measured at 6 feet 10¼ inches.

In the 2002–03 NBA season, Collins became the starting center for the Nets. He helped the team reach the NBA Finals again. That season, he averaged 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Before the 2004–05 season, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Nets.

Memphis Grizzlies (2008)

On February 4, 2008, Collins was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. This trade also involved some money.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2008–2009)

On June 26, 2008, Collins was part of a big eight-player trade. He was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This trade included players like Kevin Love and O. J. Mayo.

Atlanta Hawks (2009–2012)

Collins signed with the Atlanta Hawks on September 2, 2009. He re-signed with the Hawks in 2010. In 2010–11, the Hawks beat the Orlando Magic in the playoffs. Collins was important in slowing down the Magic's star center, Dwight Howard. Orlando's coach, Stan Van Gundy, praised Collins' defense on Howard.

Boston Celtics (2012–2013)

Collins (right) and Celtics' teammate Jared Sullinger (left) defend Detroit's Greg Monroe

On July 31, 2012, Collins signed a contract to play for the Boston Celtics.

Washington Wizards (2013)

On February 21, 2013, Collins and Leandro Barbosa were traded. They went to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Crawford.

After the 2012-13 season ended, Collins made a significant personal announcement. He became the first male athlete from one of the four major North American professional team sports to share this part of his life publicly. Collins became a free agent in July 2013. He wanted to keep playing but did not get invited to training camp by any team. He kept working out at home, waiting for a chance to play again.

Return to the Nets (2014)

On February 23, 2014, Collins signed a 10-day contract to rejoin the Nets. The team had moved to Brooklyn by then. Nets coach Jason Kidd, who was Collins' teammate before, supported signing him. Collins played 11 minutes that night against the Lakers. He became the first athlete to play in a major North American professional sports league after making his personal announcement.

Collins wore jersey number 46 in his first game. He later planned to wear No. 98, which he wore with Boston and Washington. He chose No. 98 to honor Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 murder was a widely reported hate crime. Collins' jersey became the top seller in the NBA's online shop. The NBA announced that money from jersey sales and auctions would go to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network).

Collins huddles with the Nets before playing the Washington Wizards in 2014

On March 5, 2014, Collins signed a second 10-day contract with the Nets. On March 15, 2014, he signed with the Nets for the rest of the season. On November 19, 2014, Collins announced he was retiring from professional basketball. He had played 13 seasons in the NBA.

Player Skills and Impact

Collins' career averages in the NBA were 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He never averaged more than seven points or seven rebounds in a season. However, basketball experts valued his defense in ways that don't always show up in stats. Collins was a strong player who defended well in the post area. He was also good at boxing out and setting screens.

He was very good at following coaches' defensive plans. He could read what opponents were doing and communicate well on defense. Collins was also known as a team leader. He was often praised for his professional attitude and intelligence on the court.

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
2001–02	New Jersey	77	9	18.3	.421	.500	.701	3.9	1.1	.4	.6	4.5
2002–03	New Jersey	81	66	23.5	.414	.000	.763	4.5	1.1	.6	.5	5.7
2003–04	New Jersey	78	78	28.5	.424	.000	.739	5.1	2.0	.9	.7	5.9
2004–05	New Jersey	80	80	31.8	.412	.333	.656	6.1	1.3	.9	.9	6.4
2005–06	New Jersey	71	70	26.7	.397	.250	.512	4.8	1.0	.6	.6	3.6
2006–07	New Jersey	80	78	23.1	.364	.000	.465	4.0	.6	.5	.5	2.1
2007–08	New Jersey	43	23	15.9	.426	—	.389	2.1	.4	.3	.2	1.4
2007–08	Memphis	31	3	15.7	.508	.000	.526	2.9	.2	.4	.5	2.6
2008–09	Minnesota	31	22	13.6	.314	—	.464	2.3	.4	.3	.4	1.8
2009–10	Atlanta	24	0	4.8	.348	.000	.000	.6	.2	.1	.1	.7
2010–11	Atlanta	49	28	12.1	.479	1.000	.659	2.1	.4	.2	.2	2.0
2011–12	Atlanta	30	10	10.3	.400	—	.467	1.6	.3	.1	.1	1.3
2012–13	Boston	32	7	10.3	.348	—	.700	1.6	.2	.3	.2	1.2
2012–13	Washington	6	2	9.0	.167	—	1.000	1.3	.3	.3	.7	.7
2013–14	Brooklyn	22	1	7.8	.458	.000	.750	0.9	.2	.4	.0	1.1
Career		735	477	20.4	.411	.206	.647	3.7	.9	.5	.5	3.6

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2002	New Jersey	17	0	13.4	.364	—	.658	2.4	.4	.3	.4	2.9
2003	New Jersey	20	20	26.5	.363	.000	.836	6.3	.9	.7	.6	5.9
2004	New Jersey	11	11	24.2	.368	—	.750	4.0	1.5	.3	.9	3.6
2005	New Jersey	4	4	32.0	.235	—	.375	6.5	.3	.5	.0	2.8
2006	New Jersey	11	11	27.5	.360	—	.591	5.0	.3	.5	.2	2.8
2007	New Jersey	12	12	27.4	.571	—	.364	3.3	.2	.6	.3	2.3
2010	Atlanta	3	0	3.3	.600	—	—	1.7	.0	.0	.0	2.0
2011	Atlanta	12	9	13.2	.643	—	.375	1.4	.1	.4	.3	1.8
2012	Atlanta	5	4	17.0	.545	—	—	2.4	.0	.2	.0	2.4
Career		95	71	21.4	.400	.000	.677	3.8	.5	.4	.4	3.3

Awards and Recognition

On August 2, 2013, Jason Collins was honored as one of the first people inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. This recognized his bravery and impact in sports.