John Collins suspended 25 games by NBA

By InsideHoops.com
November 5, 2019
12:20 p.m. ET

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Atlanta Hawks forward-center John Collins has been suspended without pay by the NBA for 25 games, for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2 (GHRP-2). Collins’ suspension starts immediately, so he'll miss tonight's Hawks game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Collins, listed at 6-foot-9, 235 pounds, played college basketball at Wake Forest and was drafted 19th overall by the Hawks in 2017. He had a solid rookie season in 2017-18, then did big things in his second year and emerged as a serious talent, averaging 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in 2018-19 while shooting 56% FG. This season through five games, Collins is averaging 17.0 points and 8.8 rebounds.

According to reports from ESPN and elsewhere, Collins plans to appeal the suspension. But off the top of our heads, it's rare that such suspensions are overturned.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the suspension will cost Collins around $610,000 in salary.

Hawks GM and president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk issued the following statement in response to the news: “On behalf of the entire Hawks organization, we are disappointed to learn that John put himself in an unfortunate situation and violated the league’s anti-drug policy. We hold ourselves and each of our players to a high standard, and we are committed to supporting John as he learns from this setback and continues to grow as both a player and a person. Head Coach Lloyd Pierce and I have both talked to him and we believe that he is truly remorseful for his actions. We will provide John with support on and off the court while we look forward to his return to the team.”