 Nichols played college basketball with the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team, and has been a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks of the NBA.Nichols was coached by Mike Hart at St. Andrew's High School, where he helped his club to a 28-8 record and won the New England Prep School Athletic Conference title, tallying 15 points and 13 rebounds in the championship game against Lawrence Academy.His senior year, he averaged 18.6 points and 8.9 rebounds a game.