He earned All-Pac-10 conference honors three times, and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award his senior year as the top college player standing 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) or under.

Collison was born in Rancho Cucamonga, California to parents Dennis and June Griffith, who were both elite track and field athletes for Guyana.

As a senior at Etiwanda High School under coach Dave Kleckner, Collison was named a fourth-team Parade All-American.

[5] Collison and fellow senior teammates Shipp and Alfred Aboya finished their careers as the winningest class in UCLA history with 123 wins.

[6][7][8] The distinction was relative, as John Wooden's legendary teams played shorter seasons and freshmen were ineligible.

[7] Collison was widely considered to be one of the top point guard prospects in the 2009 NBA Draft coming out of UCLA.

Collison handed out a Hornets rookie-record 18 assists and scored 17 points on January 30, 2010, when New Orleans ended Memphis's 11-game home winning streak with a 113–111 overtime victory.

Later on March 8, 2010, Collison broke his own record with a Hornets rookie-record 20 assists (along with 16 points) in a 135–131 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

[12] Collison became the Mavericks' starting point guard, replacing Jason Kidd who left as a free agent.

The Clippers went 12–6 in that span, and coach Doc Rivers said the team "weathered the storm" without their All-Star point guard; he called Collison's play "the key.

"[17] In Game 4 of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Clippers overcame a 22-point deficit to tie the series at 2–2, as Collison scored 12 of his 18 points in the final quarter to help lead the team to a 101–99 win.

[19][20] The Kings offered him a starting job at point guard, and the Clippers were unable to match either the deal or the playing time.