Collin Gillespie Bio
Collin Andrew Gillespie (born June 25, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and listed at 195 lb (88 kg), he plays the point guard position. A former Villanova Wildcat, Gillespie is a two-time Big East Player of the Year and a Bob Cousy Award winner, and he already owns an NBA championship ring as well as an NCAA title.
Early Life and Background
Collin Andrew Gillespie grew up just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. He is the son of a police officer and was raised with a strong sense of discipline that would later shape his work ethic on the court. He attended Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania, where he was coached by John Mosco.
Coming into his senior year, Gillespie had no Division I scholarship offers, but a string of strong performances in a tournament drew attention from college programs. He scored 42 points in a regular-season win over Neumann Goretti featuring Kentucky recruit Quade Green. As a senior, he averaged 24.1 points per game and led the team to a PIAA Class 5A state title in 2017. He was named Philadelphia Player of the Year by the Philadelphia Daily News and Catholic League Most Valuable Player before signing a letter of intent with Villanova on April 14, 2017.
Path to Basketball
Gillespie joined a Villanova recruiting class that also included Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Jermaine Samuels. Enrolling in the fall of 2017, he quickly broke into the rotation under head coach Jay Wright, scoring in double figures in his second collegiate game. He later overcame a fractured bone in his left hand sustained in December 2017, returning in January 2018 to help Villanova win the 2018 NCAA championship over Michigan.
He grew into a featured role across his next three seasons, earning Second-team All-Big East honors in 2020 and Big East co-Player of the Year in 2021. After an MCL tear cut his senior year short, he used the extra season of eligibility granted during the COVID-19 pandemic to return for one more year. That final campaign produced the Bob Cousy Award, outright Big East Player of the Year honors, and third-team All-American recognition, establishing him as one of the most decorated guards in program history.
Collin Gillespie Career
Early Career (2017–2021)
During his first three seasons at Villanova, Gillespie progressed from a reserve guard to a co-star. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.9 points per game and scored a season-high 30 points in a February 2019 win over Georgetown. His junior year featured a 27-point performance in the Myrtle Beach Classic championship game and a career-high 13 rebounds in a win over St. John’s, finishing with averages of 15.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
The shortened 2020–21 season saw him average 14 points and 4.6 assists per game before an MCL tear in March 2021 ended his year. He was named Big East co-Player of the Year alongside Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili for his play that season, confirming his status as a Big East star.
Villanova Senior Year (2021–2022)
Returning for his final college season, Gillespie opened on the Bob Cousy Award watchlist and Preseason First-team All-Big East. On February 15, 2022, he scored a career-high 33 points on a swollen ankle in an 89–84 win at Providence, a performance that cemented his case for national recognition.
He was named the outright Big East Player of the Year for 2021–22 and won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard. He also took home Big East tournament MVP honors and a second Robert V. Geasey Trophy, finishing his Villanova career as one of the program’s all-time great guards.
Denver Nuggets / Grand Rapids Gold (2022–2024)
After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Gillespie signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets and joined their 2022 Summer League team. In his Summer League debut, he posted 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists across four games. A lower leg fracture requiring surgery in July 2022 kept him out indefinitely.
Despite missing his rookie season, Gillespie ended the year as an NBA champion when the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals. He re-signed with Denver on another two-way contract on July 18, 2023, splitting time between the Nuggets and their G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, and appearing in the 2024 NBA G League Next Up Game.
Phoenix Suns (2024–Present)
On July 2, 2024, Gillespie signed a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns. He made his Suns debut on October 26, 2024, helping Phoenix to a 114–102 win over the Dallas Mavericks. During the 2024–25 season, he recorded a season-high 10 points in a 23-point comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers on March 4, 2025, and made his first NBA start on March 17 against the Toronto Raptors.
On July 2, 2025, he re-signed with Phoenix on a one-year, $2.3 million contract. On November 21, he hit the game-winning jumper with 6.4 seconds left in a 114–113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He scored a career-high 30 points in a 130–125 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on February 3, 2026, and on April 2, he set the franchise record for most made three-pointers in a season, surpassing Quentin Richardson’s 226 from 2004–05. On June 20, 2026, he re-signed on a four-year, $48 million contract.
Driving Style and Strengths
Gillespie is a steady, heady point guard whose game is built on perimeter shooting, ball security, and intelligent playmaking. He is a reliable three-point shooter with deep range, an effective pick-and-roll operator, and a calm decision-maker in late-clock situations. His poised floor general play during a 2025 comeback win drew comparisons to Suns great Steve Nash, and his growth into a featured scorer showed his comfort creating offense on and off the ball.
Notable Events and Milestones
Gillespie’s career is studded with signature moments, from a 2018 NCAA championship at Villanova to a 2023 NBA title with the Denver Nuggets. He has won a Bob Cousy Award, two Big East Player of the Year trophies, and set the Phoenix Suns’ single-season three-point record. His game-winning jumper against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 21, 2025, and a career-high 30 points versus the Portland Trail Blazers on February 3, 2026, headline his most dramatic NBA moments.
Collin Gillespie Career Wins
Collin Gillespie has won championships at every major level of his career, beginning with a 2018 NCAA title at Villanova and a 2023 NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets. He has also collected the Bob Cousy Award, two Big East Player of the Year honors, two Robert V. Geasey Trophies, and Big East tournament MVP honors in 2022. In 2019, he helped the United States win bronze at the Pan American Games in Lima, scoring 25 points in the third-place game against the Dominican Republic.
NBA Highlights
In the NBA, Gillespie claimed a championship ring as a member of the 2023 Denver Nuggets. He appeared in the 2024 NBA G League Next Up Game during his time with the Grand Rapids Gold and went on to set the Phoenix Suns’ single-season three-point record in 2025–26. He has also recorded a career-high 30 points, a game-winning buzzer-beater against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and a playoff career-high 20 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Other Wins & Performances
Beyond the NBA, Gillespie won an NCAA championship with Villanova in 2018 and was a 2019 Pan American Games bronze medalist with the United States national team. He was a two-time First-team All-Big East selection, a Third-team All-American by the USBWA and NABC in both 2021 and 2022, and a Third-team All-American by the AP and SN in 2022.
Collin Gillespie Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Collin Andrew Gillespie is the son of a police officer, a detail he has often cited in shaping his disciplined approach to the game. He grew up just outside Philadelphia and forged his competitive foundation at Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania. Beyond these publicly available details about his father, little additional family information has been disclosed.
Personal Life
Gillespie is an American national who has spent much of his professional career in the United States. He is known for keeping his personal life largely private, and details about a spouse or children have not been publicly confirmed. His focus has remained on his basketball career, with his commitments to the Phoenix Suns and the United States national program well documented.
2025 Season Performance
Gillespie’s 2025 calendar year bridged the end of his first Phoenix Suns season and the launch of a breakout 2025–26 campaign. He closed 2024–25 with a season-high 10 points in a comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers and his first career NBA start against the Toronto Raptors, showing flashes of the floor general role he would later claim full time.
The 2025–26 season represented a true breakout, as he averaged career-highs across nearly every major statistical category, including 12.7 points, 28.5 minutes, 4.6 assists, and 58 games started per game. He set the franchise record for made three-pointers in a season, hit a game-winner against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and posted a career-high 30 points versus the Portland Trail Blazers. He helped the Suns clinch the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs through a play-in win over the Golden State Warriors, a sharp turnaround after a 2024–25 season without playoff basketball.
