Paul Douglas “Doug” Collins is a retired American basketball player, coach, and television analyst, who was born on the 28th of July 1951 in Christopher, Illinois.
How rich is Doug Collins? Sources estimate his net worth at $5 million, earned over the course of his sports career and subsequently for his work on TV – his career began in 1973.
Doug Collins Net Worth $5 million
Doug Collins attended Benton High School in Benton, Illinois, and played on the basketball team. In 1969, he matriculated to Illinois State University, and by the time of his graduation, in 1973, he was the university’s all-time leading scorer. Their basketball court is now named in honour of Collins, and there is a statue of him outside the arena.
Three years later, he would compete at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where the US basketball team won silver, after some controversy generated in the final game against the victorious Soviet Union; the players refused to accept their medals. The final score of the game was called as 51-50 to the Soviets, and was the first time the US had not won the gold in basketball.
Collins was selected in 1972 in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, where he would remain for the entirety of his playing career. He reportedly signed a five-year contract worth $1.5 million, contributing significantly to his overall wealth. He would go on to suffer numerous injuries which interfered with his ability to play – in August 1973 he fractured his left foot for the first time, then in 1976 he tore muscles in his groin, before in 1979 undergoing surgery on his left foot, causing him to miss over 30 games. His final injury, a torn knee ligament in 1981, put an end to his pro career. He had played in 415 games, and had averaged 17.9 points per game.
Collins started his coaching career at the University of Pennsylvania, before moving to Arizona State, each time as assistant coach. He made the move to the NBA in 1986, when he was hired as coach of the Chicago Bulls. At that time, the Bulls had been under performing, and the two previous coaches had both been fired for underwhelming performance. With Collins’s guidance, the Bulls improved, although not enough to save him from being fired in 1989.
In 1995, Collins took the position of head coach of the Detroit Pistons. In April of 1996, the Pistons faced off against his former team, the Bulls, and won 54-28 to break a long losing stark against his former team. However, he was fired in 1998.
After working as a broadcaster for several networks, including NBC, Collins returned to coaching with the Washington Wizards in 2001, but was fired in 2003 and went back to broadcasting. In 2008, he commentated on the Olympics basketball in Beijing, and again in London in 2012. His final coaching position came in 2010, when he was hired as head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, a role he kept until 2013 when he resigned for personal reasons, wanting to spend more time with his family.
In his personal life, Collins has been married to Kathy Steiger since 1976, and the couple have two children together. His son, Chris Collins, was also a professional basketball player, and has since gone on to coach the Northwestern Wildcats. His daughter, Kelly, played basketball during her time at college, and is now a teacher.
