You want to see an NBA player be real? Check out Portland guard C.J. McCollum. Freshly signed to a four-year, $106 million deal and what’s the guy who exploded into the league’s mainstream to the tune of 20.8 points per game in 2015-2016 talk about? His mom, of course.
At the press conference to announce his new deal last week, McCollum, the fourth-year man out of Lehigh who alongside Damian Lillard makes up one of the more dynamic backcourt pairings in the league, was asked how his family and his upbringing have helped to shape who he is. In answering the question, he made it clear that his mom is quite the note taker and a really great personal coach.
“My mom, she’s got the notepads after every game, she’s taking notes and (saying), ‘Let me know when you’re ready for me to go over the scouting report this week.’ I’m like, ‘Mom, I just watched film for four hours. I don’t want to see this.’ Just having that patience … My mom’s not going to tell me I shot well when I went 2-for-10 and the guy you’re guarding, Brandon Knight, had 29 points and sealed the game. She’s not going to be like, ‘Good game.’ She’s going to be like, ‘That boy’s nice, he’s going at you.'”
No sugarcoating from Mrs. McCollum. Perhaps that’s part of the reason why the Blazers surprised so many in tearing their way to the Western Conference semifinals last season despite losing four of their five starters from the previous year. They have to be pretty pumped that their newest young star has her in his corner.
(via OregonLive.com)
