Christian James McCollum is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. During his third year in the league in 2015–16, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player.
CJ McCollum is an American professional basketball player born on September 19, 1991 in Canton, Ohio. He attended GlenOak high school in Canton, where he was the Division I Player of the Year as a senior. He then attended Lehigh University, where he became the all-time leading scorer in Patriot League history and was named the Patriot League Player of the Year three times.
In 2013, McCollum was selected 10th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Draft. He made his debut on October 30th and played sparingly during his rookie season due to injuries. In 2014-15, he became a regular starter for the team and averaged 20.8 points per game while being named to the All-Rookie First Team. The following season he increased his scoring average to 23 points per game and made his first All-Star Game appearance as a reserve for the Western Conference team.
McCollum has continued to be one of Portland’s most important players on offense, averaging over 20 points per game every season since 2015-16 and reaching new career highs in 2018-19 with 22 points per game and 4.3 assists per game. He also won Most Improved Player Award in 2017–18 after helping lead Portland to a 49–33 record and their first playoff series win since 2000 when they defeated New Orleans Pelicans 4–0 in the first round of playoffs that same season.
<div id="" class="timeline-item"><p id="" class="timeline-year">1991</p><h3 id="" class="timeline-title">CJ McCollum is Born</h3><p id="" class="timeline-text">On September 19, 1991, CJ McCollum was born in Canton, Ohio.</p></div>
<div id="" class="timeline-item"><p id="" class="timeline-year">2009</p><h3 id="" class="timeline-title">McCollum Graduates High School</h3><p id="" class="timeline-text">McCollum graduates from GlenOak High School and is named the Ohio Mr. Basketball.</p></div>
<div id="" class="timeline-item"><p id="" class="timeline-year">2013</p><h3 id="" class="timeline-title">McCollum is Drafted by Portland Trail Blazers</h3><p id="" class="timeline-text">McCollum is drafted tenth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2013 NBA Draft.</p></div>
<div id="" class="timeline-item"><p id="" class="timeline-year">2015</p><h3 id="" class="timeline-title">Named Most Improved Player</h3><p id="" class="timeline-text">McCollum is named the Most Improved Player of the Year in the 2015 season.</p></div>
<div id="" class="timeline-item"><p id="" class="timeline-year">2017</p><h3 id="" class="timeline-title">McCollum Signs Contract Extension with Trail Blazers</h3><p id="" class="timeline-text">McCollum signs a four year $106 million contract extension with the Trail Blazers.</p></div>
<div id="" class="timeline-item"><p id="" class="timeline-year">2018</p><h3 id="" class="timeline-title">McCollum Named to All Star Team</h3><p id="" class="timeline-text">McCollum is named to the All Star team for the first time in his career.</p></div>
<div id="" class="timeline-item"><p id="" class="timeline-year">2020</p><h3 id="" class="timeline-title">McCollum Scores Career High 60 Points</h3><p id="" class="timeline-text">Scores a career high 60 points against the Dallas Mavericks on January 10, 2020.</p></div>
<div id="" class="whywelove-item"><h3 id="" class="whywelove-title"><span class="whywelove-leter">A.</span> He's a Great Scorer</h3><p id="" class="whywelove-text">CJ McCollum is an excellent scorer and can score from anywhere on the court. He has a great shot and is always looking for ways to get his teammates involved in scoring opportunities.</p></div>
<div id="" class="whywelove-item"><h3 id="" class="whywelove-title"><span class="whywelove-leter">B.</span> He's a Great Leader</h3><p id="" class="whywelove-text">CJ McCollum is a great leader and team player. He always puts his team first and strives to make everyone around him better. His leadership skills and unselfishness have helped him become one of the best players in the NBA.</p></div>
<div id="" class="whywelove-item"><h3 id="" class="whywelove-title"><span class="whywelove-leter">C.</span> He's Inspirational</h3><p id="" class="whywelove-text">CJ McCollum is an inspiration to many young basketball players. He has overcome adversity and worked extremely hard to achieve success in the NBA. His work ethic and dedication to the game are inspiring and serve as a reminder to never give up on your dreams.</p></div>
<div id="" class="facts-item"><h3 id="" class="facts-title"><span class="facts-number">1.</span> First Lehigh Player in NBA</h3><p id="" class="facts-text">CJ McCollum was the first player from Lehigh University to be drafted into the NBA.</p></div>
<div id="" class="facts-item"><h3 id="" class="facts-title"><span class="facts-number">2.</span> Youngest Player to Reach 1,000 Points</h3><p id="" class="facts-text">CJ McCollum is the youngest player in NCAA history to reach 1,000 points in a season, doing so at just 19 years old.</p></div>
<div id="" class="facts-item"><h3 id="" class="facts-title"><span class="facts-number">3.</span> Graduated with Honors</h3><p id="" class="facts-text">CJ McCollum graduated from Lehigh University with honors, earning a degree in Journalism and Communication.</p></div>
<div id="" class="facts-item"><h3 id="" class="facts-title"><span class="facts-number">4.</span> Record For Most Points in a Debut</h3><p id="" class="facts-text">In his debut game for the Portland Trail Blazers, CJ McCollum set a franchise record for most points scored in a debut game (23).</p></div>
<div id="" class="facts-item"><h3 id="" class="facts-title"><span class="facts-number">5.</span> First Player Ever to Score 40+ Points off the Bench</h3><p id="" class="facts-text">On February 18, 2017, CJ McCollum became the first player ever to score 40+ points while coming off the bench when he scored 42 points against the Dallas Mavericks.</p></div>