John Collins is the young American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA League.
Collins has been mostly playing as the power forward for the Hawks for around five league seasons. However, the versatile athlete has shown his magic as a center multiple times.
He entered NBA when the Hawks picked him in the 2017 NBA draft. Before that, he played college basketball for the Wake Forest University team for two years.
Collins has received a couple of honors for his top-notch performances during his college career.
Sadly, the constant injuries have been a major trouble for the rising NBA star.
In March 2022, he suffered yet another major injury that will probably force him out of court for quite a long time to come.
However, the player has always been a fighter, and his fans are hoping that he will come out fine in no time.
Now, let’s explore more about his early life, achievements, social media presence, etc. But before that, here are some quick facts about John Collins.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | John Martin Collins III |
| Known As | John Collins |
| Date of Birth | September 23, 1997 |
| Birth Place | Layton, Utah, the USA |
| Nick Name | John the Baptist, JC |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
| Age | 26 years old |
| Height | 2.06 m (6 feet 9 inches) |
| Weight | 226 lb (103 kg) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | John Collins Jr. |
| Mother’s Name | Lyria Rissing-Collins |
| Siblings | Not available |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Education |
|
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Girlfriend | None |
| Kids | None |
| Salary | $23 million |
| Profession | Professional basketball player |
| NBA Draft | 2017 / Round: 1 / 19th pick overall |
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| League | National Basketball Association (NBA) |
| Active Years | (2017 – Present) |
| Net Worth | $1-$5 million |
| Currently Plays For | Atlanta Hawks |
| Jersey Number | 20 |
| Career Highlights & Awards |
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| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | NBA Card |
| Last Update | April 2024 |
John Collins | Early Life, Career & Education
John Collins was born to his parents, John Collins Jr. (Father) and Lyria Rissing-Collins (Mother), on September 23, 1997, in Utah, United States.
Both his parents served for the US military forces when he was born.
His father was a navy officer, while his mother used to work for the US Air Force. So, even though he was American-born, he spent most of his childhood abroad.
While he was still a toddler, Lyria and John got a transfer to Guam, so the family lived there together for some years. After that, he lived with his mother for many years in Turkey while the father, John, returned to the United States.
Collins’ earlier years were quite hectic as he had to switch between the residences frequently. So, he studied in junior schools across different countries as a kid.
Moreover, he has spent considerable time in other countries such as Cyprus, Greece, etc.
His love for sports grew from a very early age. He had already begun playing basketball at age five and dreamed of playing in the NCAA Tournament in the future.
Likewise, he started appearing in competitive basketball events when he was seven.
Eventually, Lyria was retired from her military career in 2010, and they permanently settled in Florida, United States. Unfortunately, his parents divorced around the same time, and Collins lived with his mother.
Collins did well in both studies and basketball games as his mother supported him from the start. She used to accompany him in various tournaments and practices.
John Collins | Career
High School Career
John Collins went to the Cardinal Newman High School while he was fourteen and played basketball for their team.
He was sluggish initially and did not put up a great show, although he had many years of practice.
However, he had a growth spurt simultaneously, and he gradually began to improve his game. Beginning as an average player with a low ranking in the class, he quickly rose to prominence and came out quite strong in the final years.
Moreover, he frequently played for the Florida Flash in the AAU tournament during his high school years, which obviously helped him further sharpen his basketball skills.
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College Career
After graduating from high school in 2014, John joined West Forest University for his college basketball career.
Even though he did not lead the Demon Deacons to win any championship, Collins became a much better power forward during his brief time with them.
His performance left a profound effect on the coaches, and therefore, the experienced coaches like Randolph Childress and Danny Manning saw that he would make a great NBA player in the future.
However, his numbers were not as good compared to his second season. He played all matches in both college basketball seasons and decided to go for the NBA draft in 2017.
Professional Career
The Atlanta Hawks chose Collins as the 2017 NBA draft’s first-round nineteenth pick. Following his selection, he signed a rookie scaled contract with the club on July 1, 2017.
The club showed confidence in him although he was in the league just after his sophomore college year, and in turn, he displayed a good performance in the 2017 NBA Summer League.
As a result, he played 74 matches in his first NBA regular season and played very well. He averaged 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his rookie season, which was enough to win more playtime in the upcoming seasons.
Moving on to the second season, he came out more confident on the court, and his stats showed that very well.
Doping Test Failure & The Years Afterward
John’s third season with the Hawks was going well until he failed the doping test on November 5, 2019.
The Florida native was tested positive for pralmorelin, a drug responsible for releasing growth hormone. Consequently, the NBA suspended him for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
Nevertheless, he had his best-ever NBA performance in the third season. Playing 41 matches, he had averaged 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
Collins is still with the Hawks in the ongoing 2021-22 NBA season. He had extended his contract for five years more with the club on August 6, 2021.
However, he has remained on the bench for most of the season due to multiple injuries. He played with an average of 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game before being off the court.
Awards & Achievements
- NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2018)
- ACC Most Improved Player (2017)
- First-team All-ACC (2017)
Net Worth
Although he started his career in 2017, John Collins is one of the best-paid players of the Atlanta Hawks in recent years. His current annual salary is around $23 million.
According to various sources, his net worth ranges from $1 million to $5 million. However, the exact number is yet to be discovered.
We already know that Collins has always been with the Hawks since his NBA debut. The club had paid him a handsome amount of around $1.9 million for his rookie season alone.
Even though constant injuries slowed him down, his performance improved each season. As a result, the Hawks offered him a huge pay raise.
He signed a new deal with the club worth $125 million in 2021. So if everything goes well for him, he will earn a great sum in the coming five years.
The player has already earned approximately $11 million from his NBA career. You can find more about his salary and contract details at hoopshype.
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Injuries
Collins is presently out of the Hawks’ playing squad due to severe injuries. According to coach Nate McMillan, John has sprained his right ring finger and injured his right foot and currently undergoing treatment.
There are only about three weeks of the regular NBA season left, and there is no sign of his recovery yet. Therefore, it is presumed that he would indefinitely be out of court.
So with their main power forward unavailable, the Hawks will have a hard time earning a spot in the final two. Likewise, it will affect their East Conference Playoffs campaign as well.
However, this is not the first time the player has endured a major injury in his brief professional career.
He had previously missed around six matches this season due to a foot injury and had only made a comeback on March 4.
John Collins | External Features
As of 2024, the Hawks power forward is 26 years old.
About his physical stats, he stands 2.06 meters (6 feet 9 inches) tall and weighs around 226 lb (103 kg). In addition, he has a great wingspan of 2.11 meters.
Moreover, John is very fond of tattoos and has inked more than a dozen of them all over his arms.
His tattoos consist of various things such as a skull, plants, animals, and stuff related to various cultures ranging from Polynesian to Egyptian ones.
He says that he has always been fascinated by the diversity of human cultures, so the main purpose of drawing such designs is to pay tribute to different cultures worldwide.
John Collins | Personal Life
John Collins is currently single and is not dating anyone. Likewise, there has never been any news regarding his past relationships.
Moreover, it has just been around five years since he went professional, so he wants to give much time to improve his gameplay. On top of that, he constantly gets injured, because of which he focuses more on himself.
For that reason, he has distanced himself from love affairs. However, there is one more thing that he loves so much besides basketball. That is his love for football.
He loves watching the English Premier League and is a fan of Chelsea FC. So, many other things are currently more important for him than love life.
However, we will continuously follow up and update you on it once we know more about the related topic.
Social Media Presence
Instagram: @jcollins20_
Twitter: @jcollins20_
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does Collins play center?
Yes, Collins can play in the center position very well. However, the Hawks mostly used him as a backup center in his previous NBA season games.
How many 3Ps does John Collins average?
John Collins averages around 0.9 3Ps per game. Nonetheless, he has averaged 1.4 3Ps in the 2019-20 season, which is his highest in the NBA.
