Following His Father’s Footsteps, Kyle Collinsworth Shares His Light in Japan

In September 2020, former NBA basketball player Kyle Collinsworth signed a contract to play for the Mikawa SeaHorses of the Japan B.League. A two-time Second-team All-American at BYU, Kyle played for the Dallas Mavericks from 2017-2018 and played several years for the Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz D-League teams. Although he had other offers, Kyle was intrigued by the opportunity to play in Japan because of the stories his father, Jeff, told him about Japan when he was growing up. Jeff served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Tokyo South Mission over 40 years ago.

During the 2014-15 season, while playing at BYU, Kyle broke the NCAA single season record for triple doubles (over 10 points, rebounds and assists in one game) with six, which also tied the NCAA career record. On March 16, 2016, Kyle extended the NCAA career record to 12 triple-doubles. This record still stands.

Kyle has carved out a successful career as a professional basketball player. In addition to the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) he played for the Texas Legends, Salt Lake City Stars, teams in the NBA Development League. When he evaluated available opportunities to continue his career this season, it was an easy decision when a professional team in Japan came calling for his services.

In the late 1970s, Kyle’s father was serving as a missionary in western Tokyo. Sister Hiroko Sugano (Takahashi) was a college student living in Kunitachi. As a “seasoned” member of several years, Hiroko was asked by her bishop to support the full-time missionaries by attending a small group recently started for newly baptized single adults. Meeting for Sunday worship services in the elders’ apartment, this group, known as the “Kokubunji Group”, was led by a hard-working, positive, spiritually radiant missionary named Jeff Collinsworth. He was a light to all those around him. When Hiroko decided to serve a full-time mission herself, Elder Collinsworth was the spiritual leader who helped her through the application and interview process.

After completing a successful mission in and returning to the US, Jeff attended college, met a beautiful sister whom he married, and settled down in Utah to raise his family. The Collinsworth home was built on faith, love, and a commitment to God and to each other. Brother Collinsworth would regularly share his love for Japan and for the Japanese people with his family. He often made his favorite Japanese food of gyoza, katsudon, and curry. He taught his family how to use chopsticks and a few words of Japanese.

All in the Collinsworth family are avid sports fans and each is a talented athlete. Father, mother, and each of the children played collegiate sports, a few were heavily recruited and played on scholarship at Brigham Young University. Kyle is their youngest son, who followed others in his family to play at BYU.

For several years, Hiroko and her family called Nagoya home. While her family no longer lives in the area, Hiroko was surprised when she recently learned that Kyle Collinsworth had signed with the SeaHorses and is now living in Japan as a professional basketball player.

Kyle was 25 years old when he began his professional career after graduating and completing his college basketball career at BYU. He missed two years for his mission in Russia. He also tore his ACL on the last game of his junior year and required intense rehab to be ready for the next season. It is rare for a player to begin his career as late as 25 years old. Kyle was very aware of the perception and challenges, but he committed at an early age to serve a mission and he never wavered in this commitment. The pressures to change his mind were real, but Kyle would not be deterred from his plan, even when famous coaches from powerhouse universities tried to change his mind or even when watching loved ones experience devastating challenges.

“Serving a full-time mission is an experience that cannot be replaced,” Kyle explained. “It is not what I gave up, but what I gained. Basketball and events in life can be replaced, but not a mission. Through serving others, my eyes were opened to the world and to Christ.”

Despite the discouragement of learning a difficult language in a country known for limited success in missionary work, nothing would derail nor distract Kyle from his desires to be a focused and committed missionary in Russia. He thrived where the challenges were the hardest. In one area where church growth was stagnate, he and his companions took a small branch of 22, mostly comprised of adults, to 84 by starting a youth program and by finding and leading a family of five to the waters of baptism.

He learned lessons while serving in this branch and throughout his entire mission which have been sources of tremendous strength and encouragement during his career. His desire to be a source of light and to share it with those around him began at an early age. That desire helped him as he has navigated key decisions in his life. It came into more focus while serving in Russia and continues to guide him to this day.

Each day Kyle asks himself, “how can I share my light?” This influences every decision he makes, including professionally. With the Seahorses Mikawa, Kyle hopes to share light with his team, fans, and with the members throughout Japan.

Kyle is married to the former Shea Martinez, who is with him in Japan. She too is an accomplished athlete, finishing her 3rd year as a professional runner and sports model for Nike. Shea was the Bronze medalist representing the USA at the 2015 World University Games in South Korea and was a four-time 800-meter collegiate national champion in the USA.

Kyle and Shea both love Japan; its food, people, nature, and beauty. On a good weather day, they enjoy riding bikes around the city of Kariya and playing frisbee in the park. Kyle’s goal is to help the SeaHorses win a championship, they are currently ranked second in their division, and earn a contract renewal. He would love to finish out his career in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Collinsworth is eager to mingle with the youth and young adults in the church in Japan and to share a message that President Thomas S. Monson would often share: “The future is as bright as your faith!” Kyle adds his testimony that “what you consume is everything. If you consume light, you will have light. If you consume positivity, you will be positive. Keep believing, stay positive, experience goodness and you will share goodness.”

The Mikawa SeaHorses may have found a tremendously hard-working, always positive team player who will also be a light to their fans and their community. Sound familiar? Hiroko agrees that it reminds her of the young Elder Collinsworth.

As Hiroko and the Kokubunji Group experienced with the young Elder Collinsworth over 40 years ago, the church is also blessed to have another hard-working, always positive, spiritually radiant member of the Collinsworth family in Japan.