Former Saint Louis University guard Yuri Collins made his NBA debut on Sunday, Feb. 23, playing for the Golden State Warriors against the Dallas Mavericks. He played 6 minutes, scoring 2 points and tacking on 1 assist, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.
Collins played four seasons at SLU, averaging 11 points and 10 assists in his final season. Collins led men’s NCAA Division 1 basketball in assists in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023 with 7.9 and 10.1 respectively. He was also All-Atlantic 10 First Team and Defensive Team in those seasons.
The 5’11” guard went undrafted during the 2023 offseason but his playmaking and defense earned the attention of the Warriors. He signed with and played for the Warriors’ summer league team during the offseason. Collins then signed to Golden State’s G-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors where he played 34 games, and was in the starting lineup for three.
Following his rookie year, Collins stayed with the organization through the 2024 offseason, going on to play in and start 20 games for Santa Cruz before receiving the call-up to Golden State on Wednesday, Feb. 19, inking a 10-day contract alongside former first-round pick Kevin Knox II. Collins averaged 16 points and 11 assists for Santa Cruz prior to the call-up.
Collins was on contract for the Feb. 21 game against the Sacramento Kings, but played his first NBA minutes in San Francisco against the Mavericks. Collins scored his first major league basket with just over a minute left in the game.
Collins showed off his famous handles, putting Olivier-Maxwell Prosper on a pair of skates before drilling a step-back jumper from below the elbow.
Collins is eligible to sign a two-way contract with Golden State, allowing him to play for either the major or minor league team until the playoffs begin. When Collins’ and Knox’s contracts expire, Golden State will have 14 days to reach the 14-player minimum for the roster. If Collins signs a two-way contract he will not count towards that 14-player minimum.
