CJ McCollum

Christian James McCollum (born September 19, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his third year in the league in 2015–16, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player.

McCollum played college basketball for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and was named the Patriot League Player of the Year in both 2010 and 2012. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the tenth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. A reserve in his first two years, he became a full-time starter for the Trail Blazers in his third season after making the decision to move to shooting guard. On August 7, 2021, he was elected president of the National Basketball Players Association, replacing Chris Paul. In 2022, McCollum was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, ending his nine year run with the Blazers.

High school career

McCollum played high school basketball for the Golden Eagles at GlenOak High School in his native city of Canton, Ohio. As a freshman in 2005, he was considerably undersized, standing at only . Despite his stature, McCollum played varsity as a freshman for the Golden Eagles, relying on his athleticism. McCollum would eventually benefit from a late growth spurt, gaining five inches by his second year and another four inches by his third year of high school; it proved enough to put him on the radar for college recruitment. In his very first game as a junior, McCollum came away with 54 points to set both school and Stark County records.

Throughout his high school career, McCollum worked at refining his shooting stroke; the successful effort was reflected in the 29.3 points per game he averaged during his senior season. By graduation, McCollum had become the leading scorer in Golden Eagles history, with 1,405 career points, and was named Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year for his final campaign, the 2008–09 season.

College career

McCollum played at the private research school Lehigh University for four seasons. Listed at and as a freshman in 2009–10, he made an immediate impact for the Mountain Hawks. He played in 33 games, starting in 31, and averaged 19.1 points and 5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. He was the leading freshman scorer in the nation and the first player in Patriot League history to be named conference Player and Rookie of the Year. Also, he was an Associated Press honorable mention All-American. McCollum led the Mountain Hawks to the 2010 NCAA tournament, where he put up 26 points in a first-round loss to a top-seeded Kansas team.

As a sophomore in 2010–11, McCollum increased his averages to 21.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per outing. He played and started in 31 contests and shot 39.9 percent from the field. His shooting percentages dipped to 39.9 percent from the field, as did Lehigh's record, and McCollum was edged out for conference Player of the Year honors by Mike Muscala of the Bucknell Bisons. McCollum was named First Team All-Conference.

As a junior in the 2011–12 campaign, McCollum again earned Patriot League Player of the Year, as well as his third straight First Team All-Conference designation. In 2012, the Mountain Hawks beat the Duke Blue Devils, 75–70, in the school's first ever victory at the NCAA Division I tournament, during which McCollum posted a game-high 30 points; this marked only the sixth time in the history of the tournament that a team seeded 15th defeated a team seeded second.

Over his four collegiate years, McCollum added 30 pounds of muscle to fill out his frame. Even though he was already considered virtually destined to be a top NBA draft pick by his third year, he decided to finish his final year of college instead of leaving sooner for the NBA. A consummate student of journalism, McCollum penned an article for ''Sporting News'' explaining why he opted to continue on with his education.

On November 25, 2012, McCollum scored 26 points in a 91–77 win over Sacred Heart to pass Rob Feaster as the Patriot League's all-time leading scorer. On January 5, 2013, McCollum broke his left foot in a game against Virginia Commonwealth University, ending his season early. He was a 2012–13 Senior CLASS Award finalist. McCollum went on to graduate from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

College awards and honors

* 2× Patriot League Player of the Year (2010, 2012)
* 3× First Team All-Patriot League (2010–2012)
* 3× Patriot League All-Tournament team (2010–2012)
* Patriot League Tournament MVP (2012)
* Patriot League Rookie of the Year (2010)
* Patriot League's all-time leading scorer (2361 points)

Professional playing career

Portland Trail Blazers (2013–2022)

2013–14 season

The first player to ever enter the NBA from Lehigh, McCollum was picked tenth overall in the 2013 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He signed his rookie scale contract with the franchise on July 11, and he proceeded to play for them in the NBA Summer League, averaging 21 points and 4 rebounds per game.

Having convened for an annual photoshoot, the rookie class of 2013 took an NBA.com survey, according to which McCollum was voted the 2013–14 Rookie of the Year (together with Victor Oladipo). McCollum sat out the first six weeks of the regular season with a foot injury. On January 1, 2014, he was assigned to the Idaho Stampede of the development league. He was recalled by the Blazers on January 5 and made his NBA debut three days later, during which he notched 4 points as Portland beat the Orlando Magic, 110–94. On February 8, McCollum posted a season-high 19 points in a 117–110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

2014–15 season

On October 27, 2014, Portland exercised their third-year team option to extended McCollum's rookie scale contract through 2015–16. For his sophomore season, he played 15.7 minutes per outing while averaging 6.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1 assist across 62 games. During a first-round playoff loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Game 5, McCollum scored a then career-high of 33 points.

2015–16 season

Exercising their fourth-year team option on September 30, 2015, the Trail Blazers extended McCollum's rookie scale-contract through the 2016–17 season. With four of Portland's previous starters—LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum