Illinois State University basketball legend Doug Collins has been elected for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made Saturday at the men’s basketball Final Four in Phoenix.
Collins, 72, remains the most decorated athlete in ISU history, according to a news release from university Athletics. A three-time All-American and 1972 Olympian, he remains the Redbirds’ all-time leader in multiple categories, including career and single-season scoring — in an era that came years before the three-point shot.
Collins was the top pick in the 1973 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. After a successful career as a player, where he was named to four NBA All-Star teams, Collins transitioned to coaching.
He coached the Chicago Bulls and three other NBA teams over a span of nearly three decades. He coached Michael Jordan in both Chicago and Washington. Collins also became a leading NBA television analyst for many years.
Collins is going into the Hall of Fame as a coach and broadcaster. He received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
ISU renamed the floor at CEFCU Arena “Doug Collins Court,” on Feb. 3, 2007.
Collins become the first player from ISU to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2024 will be enshrined on Aug. 16-17 in Springfield, Mass.
