Story by Justin Lafleur, Video by Jessica Filipek
Today, Lehigh men’s basketball alumnus and current Portland Trail Blazers’ standout C.J. McCollum is a superstar, on and off the basketball court.
It didn’t come without hard work and persistence.
Many times over the course of his life, McCollum was told he couldn’t do something, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
McCollum’s path has seen him face plenty of adversity, on and off the basketball court. Along the way, he’s gained plenty of knowledge and wisdom. On Thursday evening, he returned to the Bethlehem area to share that wisdom as the keynote speaker at the LEAD (LEADership, Education and Development) closing dinner held at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, sponsored by Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics.
“There are probably some things you want to accomplish, goals, dreams and aspirations you have that may seem impossible,” said McCollum in his address. “Somebody in your family may tell you that it’s not possible. Maybe your teachers or your professors tell you it’s not possible, but I can stand here today and tell you that anything is possible.”
In the eighth grade, McCollum was 4-foot-8-inches, but he was still determined to play in the NBA.
“By my freshman year of high school, I was 5-foot-2-inches, 107 pounds,” he said. “I remember it like it was yesterday. I always tell my girlfriend now that all the girls were taller than me, so high school wasn’t the greatest time. It was embarrassing to be that short and that skinny, but I obviously got over it.
“I remember filling out paperwork (at school), which asks what you want to be when you grow up. I would always say that I will play in the NBA. I wouldn’t say I want to be an NBA player. I would say I’m going to play in the NBA.”
McCollum’s teacher tried to temper those expectations.
“My teacher would always say, that’s not a realistic goal,” said McCollum. “I’ll never forget her telling me, the chances of making it as a professional athlete are very slim. She gave me the percentages and gave me the breakdown.
“I told her one day, you’re going to be begging me to come back and speak to the kids at your school. She laughed. Now, they’re asking me to come back… so I won that battle.”
Basketball was always a love of McCollum’s. When he entered Lehigh, McCollum initially had some struggles academically, but turned things around. A big part of the turnaround came when he found an area of interest he truly enjoyed.
“When I hear Dean’s List, I smile because my freshman year was a very rocky start,” said McCollum. “For me to go from where I was to Dean’s List later in my career, it’s night and day.”
McCollum began in the Business school, but transferred into the College of Arts and Sciences to major in journalism.
“It was initially hard for me to balance the course load, social life and trying to become good at basketball,” he said. “I enjoyed talking and I enjoyed writing. Preparing a speech like today, talking about something or writing a paper was a lot easier for me than studying for a test.”
It led to a realization.
“Figure out what you’re good at and figure out what you enjoy doing because at the end of the day, if you enjoy doing it, you’ll become great at it,” said McCollum.
McCollum thrived at Lehigh in two areas he loved – basketball and journalism. Despite his senior season being cut short due to injury, he finished as the Patriot League’s all-time leading scorer (2,361 points) and was still selected 10th overall by the Trail Blazers in the 2013 NBA Draft.
McCollum’s selection nearly happened a year prior. As he went through the process, the very real possibility hit that he could be a high pick.
“I declared for the draft with the intentions of going back to school from the beginning,” said McCollum. “My brother Errick called me and said, you’re going to be a top 20 pick if you leave. Whatever you’re doing right now, stop and go work out. I went to the gym and had to really think about a chance to change my family’s lives, make good money, be a top 20 pick and get drafted, which was always my dream.”
McCollum’s initial intention was to declare for the draft as a learning opportunity, to learn more about himself and how to improve his draft stock following his senior season. As his chances of being selected highly in the 2012 draft became more clear, McCollum then faced the real dilemma of whether to go back to school or leave for the NBA.
“I ended up going home during Easter, talked to my family, and I got a call from Garry Howard, who was a Lehigh graduate and at the time, the editor in chief of the Sporting News. He said I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I have the perfect idea. Let’s take advantage of the fact that you’re a journalism major and you can be the first athlete to write your own byline as a collegiate junior and I’ll put it in the Sporting News. You put everything together for us and whether you decide to go or stay, you write why and it will blow up.”
The decision was ultimately made to return to Lehigh, McCollum’s piece was very well received and that Sporting News article helped springboard both his basketball and journalism careers.
“I decided to go back to school after talking to my parents and figuring that regardless what happens my senior year, I’ll always have my degree,” said McCollum. “I told my mom that if I do leave, there’s no guarantee I’ll go back, so I should stay.”
The move proved beneficial on all fronts as McCollum’s basketball and journalism careers have exploded. On the court, he averaged 23.0 points per game last season (20th in the NBA), one year after being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Last summer, he signed a max contract extension worth over $100 million.
Despite all the fame, McCollum is as grounded as ever. He has hosted his own radio show and annually interviews the NBA commissioner. McCollum has also made his mark in the community, which includes opening the C.J. McCollum Dream Center at the Blazers Boys & Girls Club in Portland, a learning room with computers, books and other learning tools to help Portland youth learn about different career paths to be inspired by.
Whether it’s his community work in Portland or coming back to Lehigh on Thursday, McCollum hopes to help young people find areas they’re passionate about.
Remember, “Figure out what you’re good at and figure out what you enjoy doing because at the end of the day, if you enjoy doing it, you’ll become great at it.”
McCollum is certainly living proof.
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