Jason Collier

infobox NBA Player
name = Jason Collier
nickname =


position = Center
height_ft = 7
height_in = 0
weight_lbs = 260
nationality = American
birth_date = birth date|1977|9|8
birth_place = Springfield, Ohio
death_date = death date and age|2005|10|5|1977|9|8
death_place = Cumming, Georgia
college = Indiana
Georgia Tech
draft = 15th overall
draft_year = 2000
draft_team = Milwaukee Bucks
career_start = 2000
career_end = 2005
former_teams = Houston Rockets (2000–2003)
Atlanta Hawks (2003–2005)
awards =
halloffame =

Jason Jeffrey Collier (September 8 1977 – October 15 2005) was an American professional basketball player in the NBA. At death, the seven foot tall center Collier weighed 250 lb. He was the first active NBA player to die since Malik Sealy in 2000.

Collier led Catholic Central High School of his hometown Springfield, Ohio to the 1996 Ohio State Basketball Championship. After transferring from Indiana, he completed his college career at Georgia Tech and was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft. He was traded on draft day to the Houston Rockets in exchange for their pick, Joel Przybilla. He then played for the Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 5.6 points per game over his career.

During the NBA off-season, Collier died suddenly at the age of only 28 on October 15, 2005 in Cumming, Georgia. His autopsy indicated that he died because of a "sudden heart rhythm disturbance caused by an abnormally enlarged heart." [cite news|url=http://nique.net/issues/2005-11-04/sports/6|title=Sports Shorts: Autopsy shows Collier had enlarged heart|work=The Technique|date=2005-11-04|accessdate=2007-05-16] It was reported that he experienced shortness of breath before losing consciousness. Medical treatment was performed by emergency medical technicians, but Collier died on route to the hospital.

His jersey #40 was retired by the Atlanta Hawks on December 2, 2005.

References

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jason_collier/ NBA.com Profile]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12064468 Find-A-Grave profile for Jason Collier]