Darren Collison: biography
Born in California, Darren Collison started a basketball career in NBA in 2009, as a rookie of New Orleans Hornets (currently New Orleans Pelicans). He was the UCLA graduate, selected under 21 number in Draft. Collison was playing for Hornets, Pacers, Mavericks, Clippers, and Kings. On June 28, 2019, he announced his retirement.
He was a right-handed point guard. In 2011 Darren married. In 2016 he became notorious for domestic violence charges. According to several sources, he has a net worth of $5 million, including all of his properties and earnings.
Childhood and youth
Darren is the native of Rancho Cucamonga, a small city with a population of about 177,000 people. Darren was born on August 23, 1987. Brought up in a family of professional athletes, Darren was involved in sport from an early age. He found himself in basketball.
Like any kid he loved to spend his free time on the streets, playing basketball with his friends. He entered Etiwanda High School of his native city and soon became the leading player of his school basketball team. He showed great stats for the beginner. In 2005 Darren enrolled at UCLA.
Basketball career
Collison joined UCLA Bruins in 2005 in his junior year. He immediately convinced the coach in his abilities and became the starting player and spent all 39 games of the season. Next year he won some individual awards, he was steals per game leader. All in all, Darren appeared in 142 games of UCLA in 2005 – 2009, become a leader in the number of games played for the university.
In 2006 – 2008 he played with Russell Westbrook, who was like a brother to Darren. Still, in 2018, they continued training in the gym together. Darren was managed to make himself a name as one of the best point guards of college’s basketball. He also was recognized as the UCLA MVP in his senior year.
New Orleans Hornets (2009–2010)
In 2009 Darren was selected by Hornets on 2009 Draft. He was 21st number of it. He signed a contract as one of the most promising players. Soon he started to make Hornets’ game together with Chris Paul. Darren became the first rookie in the history of the franchise, who could score 18 assists in a game. Soon he broke his record down, scoring 20 assists and 16 points. In his rookie season Darren made his first triple-double, regularly appeared in weeks’ highlights and got into the All-Rookie first team.
Indiana Pacers (2010–2012)
In August 2010 Hornets, Rockets, Pacers, and Jets made a combined deal. As a result, Collison became the player of Indiana Pacers. In two seasons Darren spent 139 games in Pacers’ shirt, scoring 11 points, five assists and five rebounds on average per game.
In 2011 Darren first got into playoffs. In 2012 he repeated the achievement. However, in July 2012 Indiana announced the trade of Rancho Cucamonga native.
Dallas Mavericks (2012–2013)
Collison became the largest basketball bright spot on the Mavericks’ European trip, scoring14 points and seven assists on average per game. That was the kind of production the Mavs expected to get on a regular basis from the player. He played well, and he was going to get better as each passing week goes by.
Darren’s best attributes were his speed and quickness. He a starter at the beginning of the NBA season and helped to win four starting games. Next 11 games were terrible for Mavs; they lost eight of them. Collison got on the bench, got injured, and couldn’t prove his importance to the head coach even after recovery. In July 2013, he was traded to Clippers.
Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2014)
The reunion of former teammates, Collison and Paul, turned out to be blurred. Paul got injured, and Darren became the key player of those Clippers. He scored 13 point and six assists on average, helping the team to get into the playoffs. In the first round, Clippers beat the Warriors in seven games but lost the second round in six games. Thunder was stronger, while Collison decided to move to Sacramento.
Sacramento Kings (2014–2017)
The debut year in Kings was unsuccessful for Darren. He got injured and missed 37 games. His $16 million contract looked overpriced. In Sacramento, Darren didn’t take part in playoffs games. His best result was ten assists and 28 points against Knicks in 2014. In 2017 Darren was suspended for eight games because of his arrest. Scoring 13 points and five assists on average in season 2016 – 2017, Darren couldn’t get into final playoffs games with Sacramento.
Return to Indiana (2017–2019)
In July 2017 Pacers announced they had signed free agent Darren Collison to a contract. “Having had Darren here in the past, we obviously knew what we were getting, both on the floor and in the locker room," said Kevin Pritchard. "When you bring in a player like Darren, you know you're not only getting the point guard; you're adding a veteran presence to your team."
Darrel started the season well, taught a good lesson to an effective rookie Deandre Ayton, who retreated toward the hoop as Collison used a Myles Turner pick-and-roll to shed Phoenix’s Devin Booker. It looked like Ayton would contain Collison, but a mundane yet precise crossover ended with Ayton taking a major tumble. Freeze-frame it, and it actually looked like Ayton breaks ankles.
Darren was managed to set some new record in Pacers’ shirt in two seasons, becoming 3-Pt Field Goal Percentage leader of 2017 – 2018 season and taking parts in playoffs.
Retirement
Spent two seasons in Pacers, Darren was on the verge of becoming an unrestricted free agent. He was on target to secure a $10 to $12 million annual salary in summer 2019. There was reportedly a strong belief that Bulls and Darren would reach an agreement before his surprise retirement on June 28, 2019.
Collison decided to retire from the NBA after ten seasons. He reported that he was going to focus on being a Jehovah’s Witness and on helping the less fortunate through his faith. He said:
"Basketball has been my life since I was a child. I could never imagine finding anything that brings me more joy than I get from playing the game. While I still love basketball, I know there is something more important, which is my family and my faith. I am one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and my faith means everything to me. I receive so much joy from volunteering to help others and participate in a worldwide ministry. The joy I feel is unmatched. With that being said, I have decided to retire from the NBA."
Collison’s retirement at the age of 31 came as a shock to his Indiana Pacer teammates. Anyone who paid close attention to the Pacers' unheralded 2018-2019 season certainly took notice of Collison's effectiveness as both a starter and a valuable bench scorer.
Personal life
Keyosha Sanders and Darren Collison tied the knot in 2011. Two years later, the pair did an adorable maternity photo shoot. Keyosha gave birth to their first child, son Kinston, in October 2013.
In May 2016 Darren arrested on a domestic violence charge for reportedly assaulting his wife. According to court documents, "deputies found that the woman had visible injuries and they arrested Darren on a charge of domestic violence”.
Darren was booked into Placer County Jail on one count of inflicting injury to a spouse or cohabitant and two misdemeanor bench warrants for driving on a suspended license. The police released him on $55,000 bail. Later he pleaded guilty and issued a statement apologizing to a woman he said he has known and loved since high school.
The court sentenced Collison to serving 20 days in jail, but he was able to participate in an alternative sentencing program. He performed 20 hours of community service and a yearlong program to deter domestic violence as part of a three-year sentence of informal probation.
NBA Achievements
- 2010 – All-Rookie First Team
- 2010, 2019 – Top 20 Total assists leaders
- 2018 – 3-Pt Field Goal Percentage leader
- 2019 – Top 20 Total steals leaders
