Club 520 - CJ McCollum on Damian Lillard trade, Steph Curry & Warriors WCF battles, beating Duke

Summary

Club 520 Podcast – CJ McCollum on Damian Lillard Trade, Steph Curry & Warriors WCF Battles, Beating Duke

Date: December 15, 2025
Host: DJ Wells (with Jeff Teague, Bishop B. Henn, “Young Nacho” and co-hosts)
Guest: CJ McCollum
Podcast by: iHeartPodcasts & The Volume

---

Overview

This episode of Club 520 features NBA veteran C.J. McCollum, who joins hosts DJ Wells, Jeff Teague, and Bishop B Henn for an engaging, candid, and hilarious conversation covering McCollum’s basketball journey from undersized high schooler to NBA star, the realities and stakes of his career-changing moments, his perspective on the business of basketball, and reflections on his legendary NCAA upset over Duke. The episode is rich in behind-the-scenes NBA stories, hard-earned wisdom on success and consistency, and plenty of club-style camaraderie.

---

Episode Breakdown

1. Early Basketball Days: Underdog Origins

[09:16 – 13:43]

• Growing up in Canton, Ohio:
  • McCollum had a high school team with multiple future pros, notably playing varsity as a small guard (5'2” as a freshman).
  • Quote: “I was only like 5:2, so had the handles, had the jumper, had that stuff, but I was just too small. And eventually God gave me a little bit of height and some grace, and I tried to run with it.” (C.J. McCollum, 10:01)
• Growth Spurt Timeline:
  • 5'2" (freshman), 5'7" (sophomore), 5'11" (committed to Lehigh), 6'2" by senior year, currently 6'3”.
• Varsity Experience:
  • Played JV and partial varsity as a freshman due to “five quarter rule.”
  • Big brother was his role model and main influence.

2. College at Lehigh & Beating Duke

[13:44 – 16:54]

• Choosing Lehigh:
  • Chose a mid-major due to late development; larger schools began recruiting late.
  • Quote: “If I was taller earlier, like I think things probably would have been different. But my story might have ended differently, too.” (C.J. McCollum, 12:14)
  • Lehigh’s tough academics prepped him mentally for life beyond hoops.
• The Iconic Duke Upset:
  • McCollum’s 2012 NCAA Tournament performance against Duke “put him on the map.”
  • Quote: “I always hated Duke. They never recruited me...so this was really personal for me.” (C.J. McCollum, 14:45)
• Balance of Academics and Sports:
  • After beating Duke: “I did get a standing ovation and applause in every classroom after that, though. That was dope.” (C.J. McCollum, 14:20)

3. Small School Mentality & NBA Preparation

[16:35 – 18:34]

• Development at Small Schools:
  • Discussed how having to “do it all” at smaller programs builds versatile players.
  • Quote: “You see them playing on TV, all the shoes...when you get a chance to play against a big school, it’s personal.” (C.J. McCollum, 17:05)
• Resource Gaps:
  • Spoke about lack of facilities and access at Lehigh compared to Power-5 schools.

4. Adapting, Growth, and Draft Process

[29:28 – 33:20]

• Overcoming Injury:
  • Broke his foot senior year, faced skepticism pre-draft about athleticism, size, defense.
  • Quote: “I told [teams], ‘I work out against second round picks, D2 guys. Line ‘em up – I don’t care.” (C.J. McCollum, 30:09)
• Workout Circuit & Draft Experience:
  • Did 12 team workouts, was promised by Sacramento, ultimately drafted by Portland at 10.

5. Chasing Consistency & Longevity

[33:56 – 40:20]

• Basketball IQ and Work Ethic:
  • Credits older brother for teaching preparation, discipline, and the art of “stealing” moves from the greats.
  • Quote: “I have a unique ability to watch stuff and pick it up and emulate it right away... I watch a lot of Kyrie, old school stuff, Grand Hill, T-Mac, Dame’s stepback, Shay...if I see it and I like it, I’m taking it.” (C.J. McCollum, 33:56)
• Adaptation with Age:
  • Describes shifting from “work smarter, not harder”—routine, diet, sleep, and efficient practice matter more each year.
• Preparation and Consistency:
  • “Success comes from consistency… you gotta do what you gotta do, but there’s a balance.” (C.J. McCollum, 38:44)

6. NBA Rookie to All-Star: Stories and Lessons

[40:20 – 44:28]

• Veteran Influence:
  • Early years buffered by Mo Williams, Dorell Wright, Steve Blake, Chris Kaman, and others.
  • “Mo used to make me sit in his room, drink his whiskey, and just tell me stories.” (C.J. McCollum, 41:16)
• Paying Dues as a Rookie:
  • Emphasizes importance of falling “in line” with team culture, from bringing donuts to learning humility.
  • “You don’t blow an opportunity by not playing, you blow it by not being ready. And I was ready.” (C.J. McCollum, 44:19)

7. Gaining Opportunity and Securing the Bag

[52:28 – 60:26]

• Breakthrough to Starter:
  • Injuries to teammates thrust McCollum into a key role, which he seized by being prepared.
  • Quote: “My brother said, ‘Now we’ll know how hard you work. Now we'll see what the work is all about.’ And I was like, that was it. Yeah. I went from averaging 6 to 20.” (C.J. McCollum, 55:00)
• Foresight in Finances:
  • Studied contracts/stats of similar players to set his own benchmarks.
  • Quote: “I looked at your trajectory, size, points, obviously statistics, how good is the team?...They gotta pay me more than that because I'm younger." (C.J. McCollum, 56:00)
• Securing a $100M Deal:
  • “My agent hit me and he was like, I think we're at, like, 97. I was like, 97 what? He’s like, 97 million? I said, take it.” (C.J. McCollum, 58:13)
  • Celebrated in Vegas with his now-wife; still cautious about finances, “afraid to go broke.”

8. The Portland Era, the Dame Era, and the Lillard Trade

[64:00 – 69:31]

• Leaving Portland:
  • Emotional and amicable departure; McCollum remains closely tied to the city and organization.
  • “You spend the beginning of your adulthood there. You learn, you grow, you develop. A lot of my first memories in the NBA are there, and you'll never forget those.” (C.J. McCollum, 64:06)
• On Damian Lillard’s Trade:
  • Surprised by the move—“Did I think he’s gonna get traded to Milwaukee in the middle of the night? No.” (C.J. McCollum, 66:01)
  • Reflections on what-ifs: if Aldridge stayed, “We might've got one.” Acknowledges Warriors as the “brick wall” in their championship chase.

9. Wine Entrepreneurship & Black Ownership in Wine

[22:39 – 23:05]

• Starting a Wine Label (Heritage91):
  • Inspired by time in Portland’s wine country; values legacy, land, and opening doors for others in underrepresented industries.
  • “It’s a space that there’s not a lot of people that look like us... For us to have our own land, water rights, grow our own fruit—something to pass down.” (C.J. McCollum, 21:00)
  • Now in nine states, with plans to expand distribution.

10. Veteran Presence and Current NBA Landscape

[74:12 – 81:12]

• Mentoring Young Talent:
  • In Washington—names several promising young players (e.g., “Big Fella Sar... Keyshawn… Bub… Wil... Bilal”), commends their character, work ethic, and upside.
  • Quote: “The sky’s the limit once they really settle into being men…in the next three years them boys can be real dogs, real dogs.” (C.J. McCollum, 77:41)
• The New Age NBA and Player Development:
  • Discusses how early money and social media require more discipline and support for player growth; now, “Without education and guidance, it's detrimental to the development of basketball.” (C.J. McCollum, 79:14)
  • “You want it to be like you almost overstayed your welcome, right? You so good in the beginning, you’re underpaid. Then you get to the point where you see, like, there’s a couple guys on every roster... Ask him how he gets $7 million to not play.” (C.J. McCollum, 80:33)

11. Classic NBA Stories, Social Media, and Culture

[81:13 – End]

• Viral Moments:
  • The “I’m trying Jennifer” tweet (81:13), discussing the pressure and misunderstandings from fans.
  • Quote: “Do you understand how hard it is to play at this level, consistently, under this microscope, against pit bulls and savages... You think we trying to lose on purpose?” (C.J. McCollum, 81:46)
• Coping with Fan Criticism:
  • McCollum is unfazed by negative noise online—“They hated on Jesus, bro.” (C.J. McCollum, 82:37)
• Relationship with New Media:
  • Thinks podcasts are cool, but “a bunch of idiots out there have microphones.”
• Lighthearted Challenges:
  • Playful trash talk about podcast 3-on-3 tournaments.
• Memorable On-court Antics:
  • Recalling the infamous “Rocky Balboa” air punch meme.
  • “I got a text for that. For real. They were not happy – but I’m just being me.” (C.J. McCollum, 85:18)

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "I was just too small...eventually God gave me a little bit of height."
  — C.J. McCollum, [10:01]

• “This put me on the map right here. I always hated Duke… this was personal for me.”
  — C.J. McCollum, [14:45]

• “You don’t blow an opportunity by not playing, you blow it by not being ready. And I was ready.”
  — C.J. McCollum, [44:19]

• “I looked at your trajectory, size, points, statistics, how good is the team…They gotta pay me more than that because I’m younger.”
  — C.J. McCollum, [56:00]

• “Did I think he’s gonna get traded to Milwaukee in the middle of the night? No.”
  — C.J. McCollum, [66:01]

• “If LA would have stayed… we might've got one.”
  — C.J. McCollum, [68:02]

• “I always say there comes a time where you gotta put away childish things, pick a lane.”
  — C.J. McCollum, [39:44]

• On the “I’m trying Jennifer” tweet:
  “Do you understand how hard it is to play at this level, consistently, under this microscope, against pit bulls and savages... You think we trying to lose on purpose?” [81:46]

---

Highlighted Segments & Timestamps

• Beating Duke, NCAA Memories – [13:44 – 16:54]
• Draft Process, Pre-draft Injuries – [29:28 – 33:20]
• Securing $100 Million, Finances and First Splurge – [58:04 – 60:26]
• Damian Lillard Trade Reflections – [65:41 – 66:45]
• Role Models, NBA Veteran Influence – [40:20 – 41:44]
• Advice for Young Players & New NBA Landscape – [74:44 – 80:47]
• Viral Moments & Fan Pressure ("I'm Trying Jennifer") – [81:13 – 81:46]

---

Tone & Language

The episode is candid, humorous, and real. McCollum is down-to-earth, intelligent, and fluent in NBA locker-room banter while dispensing serious life and basketball wisdom. The Club 520 crew keeps the tone lively and playful but pepper the conversation with deep, practical insights into the business and grind of being a pro athlete.

---

Takeaways for New Listeners

• C.J. McCollum’s journey is about perseverance, adaptability, and proving doubters wrong, from his late growth spurt to his rise in the NBA.
• Preparation, mentality, and discipline—not just talent—are keys to lasting success.
• Small-school roots can be a strength: learning to “do it all” builds durable, creative players.
• NBA business is cold, and trades happen to anyone; but relationships and character matter.
• Financial and post-career planning are as critical as on-court performance.
• The modern NBA: more money, more attention, but also more need for guidance, discipline, and maturity.

---

Supporting Links

• Heritage91 Wines: Heritage91.com
• Follow Club 520: @club520podcast
• Notable moments: “I’m trying Jennifer” tweet, “Rocky” meme (findable on social media).

---

For more stories, laughs, or wisdom from the NBA trenches, tune in to this and future episodes of Club 520.

Transcript

[C.J. McCollum]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[DJ Wells]

Guaranteed Human the season's heating up and doordash keeps fans deep in their bag the whole way through. Players have their bags, sure, but with doordash, fans do too. When the game's moving fast, doordash keeps the snack stock, the gear fresh and the watch party vibes immaculate. And when your team blows the lead, suddenly you're a dessert person. Doordash always comes through. Fries, face mask, whatever you need to emotionally recover. So from tip off to ot, stand your bag and order on doordash, Snacks, drinks, gear, any and everything delivered door dash in your back all season long. Yo, it's D.J. wells here. Tomorrow at 8:30pm Eastern it's the Emirates NBA cup championship game on Prom this year's quest for the cup has been building to this the Championship game live from Las Vegas. Not a prom member sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. EMBA Cup Championship game Coverage starts at 8:30pm Eastern only on prom restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

Love the Night Reach for Zinn After Dark, a limited cocktail inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down. Try Zinn's Mojito Spiced Cider and Espresso Martini Nicotine pouches. Find them at select retailers available while supplies last. Zynn After Dark Bring on the night. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[IBM AI Advertiser]

So you're telling me that the AI that's meant to make everyone's job easier to manage just adds more to manage? On top of the thousands of apps the IT department already manages? Funny how that works. Any business can add AI. IBM helps you scale and manage AI to change how you do business. Let's create Smile to Business IBM.

[Halion Advertiser]

Everybody has goals and every goal starts with an assist, whether it's on the field or off. That's why Halion is teaming up with US Soccer to launch for the Assist. It's a new campaign that celebrates those everyday acts of support that help people achieve their goals. As the makers of trusted brands like Advil, Centrum, Tum, Sensodyne and Voltaren, Halion knows how to support everyday wellness goals. To learn more, go to halionassist.com the.

[C.J. McCollum]

Volume.

[DJ Wells]

Man Listen, you know what time it is? Boost Mobile Club 520 we tapped in. Listen, we here to tell y', all you need to get a new phone. Tap in with Boost Mobile man. They got that new iPhone 17. That's right, the new iPhone 17 ready for you to get. And listen, if you want it? They'll pull up on you. Talk to them. Be here.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, I'm going tomorrow to get mine, man. It's time. I need to upgrade immediately, man. Tap in.

[DJ Wells]

Come on.

[Club 520 Co-host]

They pull up to your crib. You don't even got to do nothing. You ain't got to go tap in with the. The. The stores or whatever. They'll have the phone come to your crib. Boost Mobile. Pull to your crib and get everything situated for you.

Boost Mobile. Is Boost Mobile for real?

Yeah, it's Mobile.

[DJ Wells]

They getting active. Listen, man, way they pulling up.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Hold on, hold on. Ain't no way they pulling up. Boost Mobile pulling up, sitting up my service on my new iPhone 17 at the crib.

You ain't gotta leave, man.

[DJ Wells]

Come on, off the couch with it. Listen, doorstep sir, she code, you know what I'm saying? When you get a new phone, the worst part is transferring your contacts, your pictures and messages. All that. You ain't even gotta do all that. They gonna handle that for you. Just tap in. Listen, man, the most powerful iPhone ever, iPhone 17. Boost Mobile got you in. They gotta leave the crib. They gonna bring your phone, transfer, refer you, man. What's the excuse not to get it behind?

[Club 520 Co-host]

Ain't no excuses. Especially they pulling up to your door with. I never. No other providers ever did that.

[DJ Wells]

Come on, man.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Doorstep service.

Wow. That's definitely new, man. Dam, that's tight.

Yeah, yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Shout out to Boost Mobile, man. All right, we are back here at Club 520, and this is brought to you by GLD. We are tapping over here at Club 520, man. You want to get you a nice holiday gift, tap in with gld. Be here. Listen, you the man with the jury. I know you tapped in, brother.

[Club 520 Co-host]

High quality material, man. High quality jewelry, man. None of that fake stuff that y' all get from those other places, man. So lock in. On this Christmas Day, over 2 million.

Customers and 50,000 five star reviews. I mean, it's legit, man. A lot of your famous stars that y' all all love from Justin Bieber, Michael Parson, Tyreek Hill, Malik Nabors, asap. Rocky, a ton of more has been rocking with gld.

[DJ Wells]

And the best part about it, man, is every single piece of jewelry is guaranteed for a life. So this is how they see you have a chance to give more than just jewelry. Get something that lasts forever with gld.

[Club 520 Co-host]

GLD has an official collab with the NFL so you can get every NFL team on the penny this season. They also have official collabs with the NBA, wnba, mlb, NCAA M, and even DC Comics. Change dependents that let you rep what you love.

[DJ Wells]

Listen, work hard and change the game. God's holiday deal is unbeatable for a limited time only. Limited time. New customers get 50% off. At God.com we use that promo code, Club520. That's 50% off with promo code Club520D.com after you purchase. Don't ask, man, where you got that chain from? Where you got that nice bracelet from? Tell them Club 520 sent you. All right, man. We back another episode of Club 520 podcast. I'm your host. My name is DJ Wells. Brought to you by Boost Mobile.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You.

[DJ Wells]

You know the vibes, man. Get you that new iPhone 17. They'll pull up to your crib and handle the rest. Shout out to Hard Rock, BET, official sponsor of Club 520 and 520 in the morning.

[C.J. McCollum]

Be here.

[DJ Wells]

Listen, man, Christmas is almost here, man. We need a light. What you going to do, man?

[Club 520 Co-host]

I got y', all, man. This week, every day, Monday through Thursday, on the morning show, Christmas Lays on the way.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, cj, either we going to make Christmas or break Christmas, man.

[Club 520 Co-host]

We going to leave.

[C.J. McCollum]

We going to leave.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You know what I mean?

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, yeah.

[DJ Wells]

We don't want to put your name.

[C.J. McCollum]

Next to see Figure it out.

[DJ Wells]

Respect to special guest in the building. Going juicing blast as usual. But to my far left, we got my dog, Bishop B. Hearing out the priest. How you what? Nasty.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Cool and nasty. It's cold out here. Glad that's how you know, bro. Really with us. You pulled up. It's. It's a desert storm outside.

[C.J. McCollum]

Too many people. I would have left the hotel for.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I ain't for sure, love, man.

[DJ Wells]

We appreciate you pulling up. Listen, man, shout out to Nitty and the other fine creators who made this set. You know what I'm saying? A holiday thing. Now, before we start this episode, our producer said. You know what I'm saying, Shout out to the Gremlins. You know the vibes, man. Shout out to Wayne. He said that this is a Christmas movie. What's one of your favorite Christmas movies?

[C.J. McCollum]

Oh, man, yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Home Alone Goat.

[C.J. McCollum]

What is it?

[Club 520 Co-host]

What is it?

[C.J. McCollum]

The true Christmas story. Whatever is it called.

[Club 520 Co-host]

The Christmas Story.

[DJ Wells]

You see Christmas, he's never seen. I've never.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Never seen the Christmas Story.

[DJ Wells]

No.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's insane, bro.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, it is. It's not the Vibes, man.

[C.J. McCollum]

That's a good one.

[DJ Wells]

I'm gonna give it a try this holiday season. I'm out of pocket still to my right, my dog, Young Nacho, Young Teague. How you. What?

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, man, I'm chilling, man. I almost made this a little later. Cause my mom birthday shout out to mama. But I'm excited, man. We got a veteran ultimate scorer in the building. Yeah, man, one of the coldest, man. I got a good story. I remember one day I'll tell you on the story when we started the pot.

[DJ Wells]

I got an Ali story we about to cook today, man. Listen, we wait for this episode, man. One of our favorite two guards out here. NBA vet, man. Getting money on the court and off the court. You see the wine here, man. The one only, Mr. C.J. mcCollum. Big dog. Appreciate you sliding on us, man.

[C.J. McCollum]

Appreciate your show.

[DJ Wells]

Thank you. Hey, this is real love. Cause it's cold as fuck outside.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, I'm actually surprised to see you. I ain't going to lie.

[C.J. McCollum]

No, y' all hit me. I've been watching the podcast with the homies. He be in the. Y' all be in the group chat a lot.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Appreciate that.

Send a blessing to the group chat.

[C.J. McCollum]

No, it's big jokes.

[DJ Wells]

But I was like, I gotta pull.

[C.J. McCollum]

Up on y', all, man. I told y', all, and I was like, I'm gonna be back. I want to see Caitlin Clark play. And I got to bring my son to the Indy 500. So if he don't work out, I'm going double back.

[DJ Wells]

Sure good city to pull up to, man. Shout out to nap.

[C.J. McCollum]

500.

[DJ Wells]

You ever been to the 500?

[Club 520 Co-host]

Who, me? Yeah, of course, bro. I tap in with the other side, man. I got two sides on my family. So, J, you know, I hang, I spam on. Shout out to the other side. The other shade. The other shade.

[Richard Sherman]

This.

[DJ Wells]

We all been to the 500, though. Shout out to Al. We all went to the.

[Club 520 Co-host]

And I went.

[DJ Wells]

We went to the trap. But the race is different.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's a different N. But I went, too. When they let him drive or do whatever with his.

You had a car.

[C.J. McCollum]

A car in the trucks and cars and trains and stuff. So at some point, I'm. I'm going to bring him. He going to love it.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's crazy.

To bring him.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, It's a helping experience, bro.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Don't. Listen, cj. Don't. You never been, right?

[C.J. McCollum]

Never been, bro.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Please do not take your son on Saturday.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, no. During the day, don't go to carb day.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Now, if you pull up now, you.

[C.J. McCollum]

See J, he turning 4, so he love, he young, he got some time.

[Club 520 Co-host]

All right. Yeah, Cuz. I'm saying you can get you a car service, bro, and let them take you inside. Because if y' all just walking through and parking like. And he got to walk through. It get wicked.

It do get wicked.

[DJ Wells]

You're not gonna see no racing.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[DJ Wells]

If you know, you don't.

[Club 520 Co-host]

It's like a day. It's like a day party for the other side.

You might. It was hella fun that day. I ain't gonna lie. It was fun.

I just wanted to my guy just tap in with us, you know, for a reminder.

It's like Marty.

Oh, we don't want son to see too much.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, without the Marty. Just my son had been in three. Marty Gr W.

[C.J. McCollum]

He got ma beads. I'll show y' all the picture when we down here. Hella beads.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, yeah, For sure, man. Let's get straight to it, man. Can Ohio. You had a high school team with a lot of pros on there. That is crazy. Also, you had the famous picture of you playing basketball when you look like he was like, 8 years old, but you was a teenager on varsity. When did you start playing varsity basketball, bro?

[C.J. McCollum]

So actually, I played my freshman year, so my brother was the starting point guard. He was the senior, and obviously I wasn't gonna take big bro spotlight. Big bro was nice. He still playing to this day. He's in Galatasaray in Turkey. This is like year 16, I think, for him. Amazing Goshen legend. You know Goshen. Goshen college legend.

[DJ Wells]

But purple and white.

[C.J. McCollum]

Purple and white. He. He was the starting point guard. So I played 3/4 JV, 2/4 varsity. So in Ohio, you had the 5, 5 quarter rule.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

So I averaged about 20 and 3/4 on JV, and then I play some games. Some games I wouldn't play on varsity, but it was just a really cool experience playing with my big bro. Obviously, Koof was on the team, close to Koufus, and still our good friend to this day. Friends with his family and good dude, worked hard. Obviously had a great career. Just. I was really fortunate, bro. I was only like 5:2, so had the handles, had the jumper, had that stuff, but I was just too small. And eventually God gave me a little bit of height and some grace, and I tried to run with it.

[Club 520 Co-host]

When did you hit that spurt?

[C.J. McCollum]

So I was. I was five two my freshman year. I was five seven my sophomore year. And then I grew to five eleven when I committed to Lehigh. I was actually five eleven.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Okay.

[C.J. McCollum]

Then I played my senior year out at six two. Then I got to like six three and a half.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Damn, you did that natural? No shot.

[DJ Wells]

He got broke.

[C.J. McCollum]

Still skinny. No shot. I pray before I go to sleep every night. Still do. I stretch before I go to sleep. And. And God looked at my dad graduated high school with five, seven. He's six three now. So I was just like, God, please don't let me graduate high school with five.

[Club 520 Co-host]

All my prayers must have been going to voicemail.

Mine too. Cause I was 511 in eighth grade. I thought I was gonna be like 6 5.

But you grew though, bro. You 61 6.

[C.J. McCollum]

But you was athletic early though.

[Club 520 Co-host]

But I was what, like five nine and seventh grade, five eleven, eighth grade, six foot. Freshman year.

Yeah.

And then it was over.

When you catch your first boom in the game.

[C.J. McCollum]

My senior year of high school, I got my first dunk. A little light one hand joint like that. Barely, you know, barely give up.

[DJ Wells]

Brains are packaged. Ducking seven eight, gr.

[C.J. McCollum]

That's what I was.

[DJ Wells]

That's what I was like.

[C.J. McCollum]

He was athletic early.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I wish I would have started a little later then, cuz. Shit, these knees are shot.

You got, you got a hell of a story you been boy. You believed in yourself. 5 2. My boy still got a scholarship to a nice school. Like that's crazy, bro.

Yeah, you said committed at 5:11.

[C.J. McCollum]

I committed. I verbal to Lehigh. I was 5:11. And then when I got there, they was looking like. And I was like, I grew a little bit. And I was six two then. I was six' three when the season started.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Let me ask you this, if you were six' two your senior year, going to your senior year, you think you would have went to Lehigh?

[C.J. McCollum]

No, I love, no, I love Lehigh. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. I met my wife there. Like everything worked out how it was supposed to, organically. It was a great decision. But Penn State was recruiting me. Notre Dame was recruiting me. I was getting recruited by some, I call them football schools, right? Like good. Like good school. Maybe not the top of the conference at the time, obviously Ohio State, those schools were better. Notre Dame was recruiting me. And I wanted to go to a school that played against good teams. But like I had a chance to like, you know, ticking. If I was a little bit taller, a little bit stronger earlier, they probably would have offered me. I always joke, Tim Frazier. Shout out to my guy, Tim, he stole my scholarship to Penn State. Bill Edwards. It worked out how it's supposed to work for sure. If I was taller earlier, like I think things probably would have been Different. But my story might have ended differently, too. Like, my development. Going to Lehigh allowed me to do everything right. Like, I had to rebound, I had to pass. I had the guard. I had to. I had to really take advantage of every day. Because you're only gonna play a couple big schools a year. You're gonna be judged on that. So it really helped my development. The school was. Obviously, it was hard. Like, academics was. Was tough. Like, you can only. You can only miss three classes for the year, and they drop you from the class.

[DJ Wells]

So, like, damn.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, it was really strict. We had, like, real rules. I was taking exams in a row. I had. I had exam proctored during the NCAA Tournament. Like, it was real, like, academics first, sports is second. So that kind of trained me, like, mentally to kind of be more on the business side of understanding life beyond basketball.

[DJ Wells]

So your professor saw what you did in the conference attorney and decided that she was still going to have a paper due or a test due.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, I mean, we beat Duke, and I think I had exam proctored, like, the next day. That's crazy. Yeah.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Where are you supposed to make it, bro?

[DJ Wells]

Mike, please go ahead and load some holes right now, because I want to talk about this. This is one of my favorite basketball highlights of all time because I am a prime Duke hater. So I appreciate the work you put on them. You mean to tell me that you did this? You only want to play this because this Stone Sports is my guys. This ain't the regular broadcast, but, yeah. Bag work. You did this to Duke? I had to go take a test. That's crazy. Oh, yeah. Push that.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah. They didn't care.

[DJ Wells]

That is crazy.

[C.J. McCollum]

I did get a standing ovation and applause in every classroom after that, though. That was dope.

[DJ Wells]

Nah, that's hard. Lay tough bag work.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Damn, cj, how much you weigh right there.

[DJ Wells]

One of my favorite crossover.

[Club 520 Co-host]

He was solid. I was solid. Wow.

That's when I was like, yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yep.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I remember this game. I was like, whoever that dude is.

[DJ Wells]

He is out of here.

[C.J. McCollum]

I was talking crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah. I was like, he gone.

[DJ Wells]

This is one of my favorite basketball highlights. All bag work.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah. This put me on the map right here. This gave me a chance to play on a big stage. And I always hated Duke. They never recruited me. I wanted to go to North Carolina anyway, so I wouldn't have went there. But my boy, my guy, a lot of respect for Coach Kato and the organization and just how they do things. I never liked Duke, so this was really personal for me.

[DJ Wells]

I ain't gonna Lie. That makes me, like, love this even more. Nah, the fact that you didn't like them and gave them work like that and sent them the fuck home, I love that.

[Club 520 Co-host]

But we talk about you all the time, bro. Like, that's why this is organic. Because he always say, like, go where you get an opportunity. Cause you never know what can happen. You know what I mean? You catch a moment like this, fuck around, really change your life forever. For real. So.

[C.J. McCollum]

Nah. It's funny, like, this is the most nervous I've ever been for a game in my life because I knew so much was at stake. You obviously play in games and you be butterflies, the jitters. But for this, I was like, they gonna judge me on this. If I hoop well, they gonna be like, he's a gamer. If I don't, they gonna say, he don't show up in big moments. So you knew, like, the pressure was amplified. And I was like, I might not get back. I got back my freshman year, we played Kansas, and I was like, I might not make it back. And sure enough, I got hurt my senior year, so I didn't make it back.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Wow.

Yeah.

Nah, that was. That was a big moment, bro.

Nah, he. He killed that moment. And that's when I. I started saying, like, dang. I think guys that go to smaller schools, they become better players because they gotta do more. So, like, like you, Steph Dane, like, when I watch y' all play basketball, y' all can make the toughest shots because y' all got. Y' all seen two defenders all the time. And now when y' all get to the NBA, it's one on one. Like, y' all don't stand a chance. So I used to tell myself, like, no wonder I can't create, like, these fools. Cause I had alpha Ruka James. I was like, I could score, but, like, these fools is sidestep, shoot over. I'm like, obviously they put in a lot of work, but they had to do that for their team to be successful. So always commend people who went to smaller schools and put in more work. Yeah, y' all deserve to look.

[C.J. McCollum]

We appreciate it. Like, a lot of times we just weren't good enough. Like, I was good. Probably halfway through my freshman year, I belonged and I deserved it. But a lot of y' all develop faster. Y' all more athletic. Y' all quicker. You got the exposure. Obviously you guys are better faster. So we're chasing that. And I think for a lot of small school guys, it's like you envious of the big Schools because of the resources.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

We didn't have, like, I didn't have gym access all the time. Like food, clothes at 7 or 8, you know what I mean? Like, food, clothes, the cafeteria.

[Club 520 Co-host]

See, catch all your cars for me.

[C.J. McCollum]

Sneaking in the gym, like it's all those things and you see them playing on tv, all the shoes. Like, everything is like, yeah, you want that life. So when you get a chance to play against a big school, it's like, it's personal because it's like you don't know what I went through. Like, you don't know what I'm going through on a day to day. Like, y' all out here, y' all got your own chefs, y' all got this. Y' all got your own houses, dorms, cars. Like, y' all have all this stuff. And we out here, like, really fighting for our lives.

[Club 520 Co-host]

See, wake forward. It's like a little better version of y' all because we ain't have all that. You could go to the gym, but you had to share with the girls. But we ain't have our stuff closed at 7, too. And you know, it's a.

But you could go across.

Yeah, I mean, Winston Stable was across the street. I was. Yeah, that's right.

[DJ Wells]

It was some soul food over there.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's what you get you a six.

[DJ Wells]

Piece and some yams over there.

[Club 520 Co-host]

For sure, for sure, for sure.

They used to barbecue, cuz.

[C.J. McCollum]

Oh, you feel me?

[DJ Wells]

With the rice and gravy over there.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You went through it.

[C.J. McCollum]

No, I mean, it's a great experience. But like, in terms of, like, Lehigh's in a different place now at that point in time, you know, it's ice baths and trash cans. It's all of that stuff. But I think it just teaches you a greater appreciation.

[DJ Wells]

What he said.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's what I'm saying.

[C.J. McCollum]

That is really going through major guys. Like, the stories you hear, like, it's real. And when you get a chance to play against these schools and obviously Nil has changed the game completely, but, like, it's personal on so many levels. Like, you see the rankings, you envious of the team, the situation. They play on TV every night. Like you get in CBS College Sports, they on cbs. You know what I'm saying? It's just like so many little things that piss you off or you. Like, this is my.

[DJ Wells]

I gotta.

[C.J. McCollum]

I gotta really show them. I gotta really show them.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I was with shelving every day. Bro at Butler, he going through the same. The ice tub and the bath. I mean, the trash can that's a little.

[C.J. McCollum]

It's a big joint, you know.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, that's trenchy.

[DJ Wells]

That's a little tricky. I don't know if Shell was doing.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That, but it was bad that, you know, on the small campus, the resources was. And then once they made it, bro, his brother looked like a whole new place, man.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, I was on campus. Tuition went up. So them two years went to the national championship. Back to back. It was a totally different place. But I mean, that's the success of it. But I mean, obviously like you said, after you get on TV and smack Duke up, Lehigh get a little bit more funding. Alumni was tapping.

[C.J. McCollum]

Funding was never an issue. They just was. It was going to wrestling and damn, you know, like wrestling. I'm keeping it a buck.

[DJ Wells]

They went to Kurt Angles, cj.

[Club 520 Co-host]

We got all this work.

[C.J. McCollum]

Our wrestlers is ranked in the country every year. We had like the Zach Roy. We had like the best wrestlers.

[DJ Wells]

Everybody gonna wrestle.

[C.J. McCollum]

Respect. It's 20,000. It's 20, 30,000 that they at they little wrestling matches.

[DJ Wells]

Like it's real.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Like it's 20,000 at a wrestling match.

They're.

[C.J. McCollum]

They're cold blooded. Like them boys is cauliflower. All of that.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, really?

[Club 520 Co-host]

All they clowning.

Wow.

[DJ Wells]

Respect.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Respect to them.

[C.J. McCollum]

They respect. Like we didn't deserve.

[DJ Wells]

He's a wrestling girl.

[Club 520 Co-host]

He, he, he was a wrestler growing up.

[DJ Wells]

Ask him his record.

[C.J. McCollum]

What was your record? A lot of losses.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, they used to make him do it. What he had beats on.

[DJ Wells]

The chin cap. On the beats is.

[Richard Sherman]

Oh, yeah.

[DJ Wells]

All we have was fun Barbie at work today, man. Okay. End of the year, we should have had a.

[Club 520 Co-host]

We should have had a glass of that.

[IBM AI Advertiser]

We could have did.

[C.J. McCollum]

I could have definitely had a glass of that.

[DJ Wells]

Okay.

[C.J. McCollum]

But.

[DJ Wells]

All right. What we got today, Bart?

[C.J. McCollum]

CJ on the logo.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Okay, we.

[C.J. McCollum]

Oh, this one's yours.

[DJ Wells]

This mine.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Okay, that one's yours.

[C.J. McCollum]

Another tropical drink so we can act like we're not in the cold. Oh, my goodness. I feel like I'm on vacation. Yeah, okay, Barbie, put it down if it's too much.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Cj.

Yeah. You know, we got a game tomorrow. Yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Respect. We don't got nothing to do, bro.

[C.J. McCollum]

I ain't gonna drink all of it, but that brown liquor put hair on your chest.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, yeah, for sure. Speaking of, you got your own wine, man. How did that come about?

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, my, my wife introduced me to wine in college and shout out to my wife at Lehigh University. But obviously getting drafted to Portland Trailblazers just kind of changed my outlook on things. Right. Like Seeing what was out there, obviously seeing wine country, the mountains, the water, all those things that you don't have in Canton, Ohio, it just kind of opened my eyes to something else. But for us, it was about legacy. It was about, you know, establishing roots in a place that we'll probably call home forever. It's like the home away from home forever and gives us a foundation, a place to raise our kids. It gives us something to pass down. And this is a space that there's not a lot of people that look like us in this space. It wasn't. Historically, it's a hard, hard barrier of entry. And for us to have our own land, our own water rights, believe to grow own fruit. We obviously sell fruit as well and still buy fruit from our partners, Adelsheim and some other friends in the business. It just gave us another lane and something that we're proud of and that we could pass down to our kids. But I actually enjoy wine and I had to put the liquor down just because of the in season, like the travel, like how the inflammation, all those things it does to the body. Obviously, when I was younger, it was easy. Me and Dee could go out and drink and he'd go get 50. But now the hangover is different. So for wine, it's easily digestible. For me, something that is more acceptable, socially acceptable. You can drink wine with the gm, the president, the coaches. Whereas, you know, growing up early on in your career was frowned upon. Now it's like we got drink sponsors in the NBA now. So it's like a different lane for us. But I just love celebrations. I love being with people, breaking bread. I always say, you might have had bad wine, but you never had a bad time drinking wine. Right. So those are just like cool elements and things that we just try to bring out to people. And we just got distribution, I think in nine. We're in like nine states now, so distributing and, you know, east coast not here yet. Indiana's a little tricky. Tough on the liquor laws, but definitely something that we're proud of.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, so that's dope. Which one of them is sweet? That's the only one I could.

[C.J. McCollum]

The. You like the. I think you would like it. That's a lot of guys in the league like it. Obviously it's cold here right now, but you can drink rose any time of the year for sure.

[DJ Wells]

What I was saying. What was the name of it again?

[C.J. McCollum]

McCollum. Harris 91. So what's my last name? Yeah, Harris 91. And for those that actually want to buy it's become heritage91.com tap in I send y'. All.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, we'll put that up under the thing so we can watch Christmas almost here.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, we'll have a little stocking stuffer.

[C.J. McCollum]

We'll have some, some Christmas deals for everybody. And you know, we'll do some, some creative shipping things for those that are really interested and want to get some tap in.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I cop all three. Probably a couple of them too.

[DJ Wells]

Listen, man, the NBA is heating up. And you know what that means. You got buckets bets and big wins every single night.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Tap in with Hard Rock. Bet the home for hoop heads all season long.

[DJ Wells]

All right, listen, all you gotta do is tap in, man. Download the app. You can bet on everything, Every matchup, every game. Listen, you can even go ahead and pull out your crystal ball, see who going to win mvp, rookie of the year and all future bets as well.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Sign up with Hard Rock Bet today. Just place a bet at $5. Yes, just $5 to win up to $150 in bonus bets.

[DJ Wells]

Listen, you heard my man. It's just $5. That's right, $5. Place that bet, you get up to $150 in bonus bets. You gotta tap in Hard Rock Bet. Get the app right now. Payable and bonus bets. Not a cash offer. Offered by Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida. Offered by Seminole hard Rock Digital LLC and all other states must be 21 and older and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call 1888. Admitted in Indiana. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- Gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

Love the night. Reach for Zyn After Dark, a limited cocktail inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down, try Zinn's Mojito Spiced Cider and Espresso Martini Nicotine pouches. Find them at select retailers. Available while supplies last. Zyn After Dark. Bring on the night. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[DJ Wells]

Yo, it's DJ Wells here. Tomorrow at 8:30pm Eastern is the Emirates NBA Cup Championship Game on prom. This year's quest for the cup has been building to this the Championship game. Live from Las Vegas. Not a prime member. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. Emirates NBA Cup Championship game Coverage starts at 8:30pm Eastern only on promotion restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.

[IBM AI Advertiser]

So you're telling me that the AI that's meant to make everyone's job easier to manage just adds more to manage? On top of the thousands of apps the IT department already manages. Funny how that works. Any business can add AI. IBM helps you scale and manage AI to change how you do business. Lets create smile to business IBM.

[Halion Advertiser]

So next summer, the biggest soccer event on earth is coming to the US for the first time in over 20 years. Now is the time to get in on the action. Every rivalry, every crazy skill, and of course, every goal. And we all know that every goal starts with an assist. It's true for soccer and it's true for health. That's why Halion, makers of Advil, Tums, Sensodyne, Centrum and Voltaren, is teaming up with US Soccer to launch for the Assist. It's a new campaign that celebrates those everyday acts of support that help people achieve their goals. Whether it's the fans cheering their hearts out in an electric stadium or the rec player who's keeping fit for weekend games, Halion is there for them. To learn more, go to helionassist.com Let.

[Richard Sherman]

Me tell you about Ready or Not, the tactical first person shooter where you take command of a SWAT team and feel the weight of the badge. Recently, I reunited with my Legion of Boom teammates, Cliff Averill, Cam Chancer, Michael Bennett and Walter Thurman. We partnered with Ready or Not to go through actual SWAT training and film the whole experience. Watch it now at the Richard Sherman Podcast YouTube channel. Here's what makes this game different. It's not just mindless run and gun. Just like the Legion of Boom built an elite defense on strategy and teamwork. Ready or not demands the same mentality. You're commanding a SWAT team, clearing rooms, protecting civilians, making tactical calls. As a coordinated team with 18 missions that challenge you in completely different ways, every operation demands that same discipline and teamwork. Best part? Try it for free for a limited time on PlayStation and Xbox. Go solo or squad up with five players in full crossplay support. If you want strategic, high stakes action that rewards elite tactics and fast thinking, then this is the game for you. Try Ready or Not for free today on PlayStation 5 and Xbox.

[DJ Wells]

Series X and S1 was different.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah. What you had wide Irish roll.

Okay.

Yeah, that's a. That's a soft red.

[C.J. McCollum]

I like the description.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, soft red. Easy on the palette. Digestible. I don't know. You feel that's dependable on the body? Okay, well, I got, I got a little CIC over Here. So I was good.

The one I know in front of the store was like, it's the one to get. He said it was 250.

Then we had Carlos Rossi.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, that's the Carlos Rossi OG Staple. Go pregame. Legendary, you know?

[Club 520 Co-host]

So now you got the. That's steakhouse one.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, we're in steakhouses, boutique restaurants. Boutique. We're in. We're in four seasons in D.C. yeah, that's.

[Club 520 Co-host]

This is.

[DJ Wells]

Enjoy your night.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I was on the Nouveau.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Double shot to the new.

[C.J. McCollum]

Shot is crazy. But, like, we all. Like, I was at. I was at Lehigh. I mean, I don't drink beer, so I was playing beer pong with liquor, like, you know. Oh, yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Cj, OG Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah. I ain't new to this. True to this. But, like, eventually, you got to transition, and you got to grow up. At some point, if I didn't hoop, like, I still like McAllen. I still drink whiskey and cognac. But, like, when I got a game, it's just a different. It's a different animal. And these young boys, you know, they more athletic, they faster, they quicker. It's more space. You know, when we first got into the league, you play with traditional fours and fives, where you could kind of rest, like, throw the ball at the post.

[DJ Wells]

Ah.

[C.J. McCollum]

Get you a little dig and get out the way you guarding the point guard, he just gonna cut through you, like. Cool. I'm chilling.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[IBM AI Advertiser]

Now it's.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Club 520 Co-host]

So how was that draft process, though, for you, though? Like, internally, was it different when you, like, how many teams did you try out for? Like, how was that?

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, so I was projected lottery pick. I ended up breaking my foot my senior year. So we beat Duke. I go back to school for my senior year. I'm playing really well. I was preseason first team All American. I did all that stuff. LeBron skills, everything. So it's like, this is the first time where you go from the 100 to the 100. I was a hunter my whole life, right? And then I was like, damn, I'm a preseason All American. Like, this is crazy. I'm on the magazines, and I came out and I was killing. And then I broke my foot against vcu, and I missed the rest of my senior year. So pre draft for me was, like, a chance to show that I was healthy. I broke my foot. So I was coming off a foot fracture, so I had to show I was healthy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Sure.

[C.J. McCollum]

I could still create score. Like, the biggest thing was like, can he score on this level? Will he be Able to still have shot creation. He's short, he's not fast, he's not super athletic. He's not a point guard. He can't create for others. Does he play defense? Can he defend outside of his position? So those were the things that it was like hard to show in workouts but it was like I can get a bucket so it doesn't matter. I told him I work out against second round picks. I work out against guys that's not gonna get drafted. Bring the D2 guys line em up like I don't really care. So I wasn't running from people. Some people wouldn't work out against me during pre draft. They would kind of avoid the workouts and stuff like that.

[Club 520 Co-host]

But.

[C.J. McCollum]

I did like 12 workouts. I worked out for Orlando, had number two and there's, there's a Lehigh, Lehigh alumni high up there. So it just made sense. Phoenix. I worked out for them. I worked out for Sacramento twice. I worked out for Portland Trailblazers. I worked out for the Sixers. I worked out for Detroit, Minnesota and Utah. So basically like around the lottery. Sacramento promised me. I actually thought I was going to Sacramento. At 7, Ben McLemore fell in the draft. The draft got kind of mixed up. I think they were split. They took Ben McLemore. Joe, Joe D was with Detroit. I thought they was going to take me. They took KCP because Joe D was the mid major guy. I was like, how are you gonna take me? Nope. Blazers basically said if I was there at 10 they would take me. I almost went to Philly at 11. That was Michael Carter. Williams went 11 to Philly.

[DJ Wells]

McDub.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, this is Marcus draft.

[C.J. McCollum]

I think Marcus went the year before me. Oh, you talking about your mother? Yeah, he's 13.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Nah, he was like he was 29th.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, I'm saying like he was in 2013. Draft.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I don't remember. I mean it's that year with KCP and all. His freshman Anthony Davis was number one.

[C.J. McCollum]

No, that's Dame's draft. So your brother was Dame's.

[DJ Wells]

It was 12.

[Club 520 Co-host]

He was 12.

[C.J. McCollum]

Cause AD was in that draft.

[Club 520 Co-host]

So you a year after.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, 13 was Anthony Bennett. Correct.

[C.J. McCollum]

Anthony Bennett won. Giannis is in that draft. Stephen Adams, Kelly Olenek, training clinic.

[DJ Wells]

Shout out Trey Burke.

[C.J. McCollum]

Shout out to my guy, Trey from Columbus.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You should have went number one. Giannis or you?

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, as scandalous as I was acting with Giannis. Yeah, he was never going number one.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Nah, we had him in the basement.

[C.J. McCollum]

Nobody seen that though. My brother played against Giannis and They said he was hooping in the forces with the grass cutter. Forces?

[DJ Wells]

The lows?

[C.J. McCollum]

No, like the OG strap joints in the middies. Yeah.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I gotta give him some more respect. I didn't know, you know, who knew.

[DJ Wells]

He was gonna be that good, though?

[Club 520 Co-host]

Kenny Akinson.

[C.J. McCollum]

That's crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

He showed me filming this kid of Giannis and was like, he's the next superstar. I said, him, he, like, he can pass. He Magic Johnson, LeBron. I was like, hell no.

[DJ Wells]

You sharing that story.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You gotta see how long his arms are. We're drafting them. We're getting this.

[C.J. McCollum]

I didn't see my brother was like, he's not ready. He's a project. It's gonna take him some time. But he. But the transformation he made.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, dog, come on.

[C.J. McCollum]

Like, he was malnourished, obviously.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, for sure.

[C.J. McCollum]

He was ugly. Bro was running it, running the games here. Bro spent all. Send all his money home. I seen. He sent all his money home. He had no car. He was running the game and somebody stopped and picked him up. Yeah, bro, everything. He getting more.

[DJ Wells]

Cuz found out Chick Fil A and became one of the best players in his position of all time. That is crazy. Shout out to Giannis, man, 50 piece. Getting the 50 piece after you drop 50 is still a legendary to me.

[C.J. McCollum]

And he made all his free throws. That was big.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That was.

[DJ Wells]

Come on. Crazy. Shout out to my cousin Chris, man. He always. He was early on you as a fan, he always said you was like the prototype for like two guards. He was just like, if you're a guard as skilled at basketball, maybe not the most athletic, but everything you can do on a basketball court translates. And it's like your bag is so crazy. Like, we just saw the highlights. Like, where did you learn how to hoop like that? Is that big bro? Is that the fam or is that just a product of being in the gym?

[C.J. McCollum]

That's big bro. For sure. It's the gym. It's creativity. It's like I have a unique ability to be able to watch stuff and pick it up and emulate it right away. So I think that helps. Like, I be on YouTube stealing stuff. You know what I'm saying? Like, I still. I watch a lot of Kyrie, I watch a lot of old school stuff. I watch Grand Hill, I watch T Mac, I watch a lot of footwork. So I watch Rip Hamilton, I watch a lot of stuff and then I try to emulate it. Like, how do I create space? How do I get separation? How do I get floats off left hand Right hand. How do I get step backs? I stole dame step back, right? Like, if I seen I like it, I'm taking it.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, man.

[C.J. McCollum]

Shay got a lot of. You know that left foot, front stops to the step back, taking it. Like you see something that you like and it's like, how can I get an advantage on the defense? How do I add more? How do I get to the free throw line more? It's the pump fakes. I've been pump faking a lot late. I think I shot nine free throws last game, but I was six and nine, so I got to do better than that. But it's like, how do you continue to get better in the midst of chaos and as you age, right? As you age, you got to be more efficient with everything. Sleep matters, hydration matters. How you work, when you work. Do I work out on, like, today was a light day, But I just. 100 free throws, touch shots around the basket. It's just like, like programming the mind and the body to understand that, like, you don't have to always do something hard. Sometimes it's thinking through, like, how I want this game to go tomorrow, what type of shots am I going to get? I got young team, they fast, they athletic. How do I fit into that? How do I score in the half court when it's a bump and grind type of game? But I think it's my brother, he taught me how to train. He taught me how to think, he taught me how to prepare. He taught me the importance of like, every aspect of basketball. And it all stems around preparation. He was like, the separator is the work and the discipline. Everybody's not gonna work and everybody's not gonna be disciplined. You can maintain that for the longer periods of time. You'll make as much money as you want for sure.

[DJ Wells]

Listen, I got a question for you also.

[Club 520 Co-host]

It's 8:30.

[DJ Wells]

Please get your food order. It is wicked outside and that. Get your food in, please. Gang got you out the gate. You talked about Chick Fil a being your cheat meal for today. And gang said, you know what I'm saying? That was the usual. Like, after hearing him talk about his situation.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Nah, just hearing him talk about preparation and all that. Like, I told you, I was playing around the NBA.

[C.J. McCollum]

But you was nice though. Like, I appreciate that you was nice though.

[Club 520 Co-host]

But like, I'm from that. Like, I had my big brother, Hoop, but my big brother, he played at Central State, but he ain't played professional ball. He went to the work field after basketball. My dad played at Missouri, he could hoop. He played, but we didn't prepare like that. My dad like, shit, he better go hoop, better do your thing. But like, to hear you be like, I got good sleep. I did that, man. I lived in Atlanta.

[C.J. McCollum]

You wasn't sleeping in Atlanta.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Nah, I just showed up to the game.

Cause that's crazy.

Y' all know me though.

That's wild.

That was just me.

Yeah.

And like, to hear him being like that, like, it made me feel bad.

[DJ Wells]

I was over here.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Like, I hope my kids on the school team watching and hearing this.

Cause nah, it's different. Tears though. Like, he said he had a. Luckily he had his brother to give him the game.

[C.J. McCollum]

I would have been left. Like, I was the kid that was gonna go left. But he was there. Like, God knew I needed that. Like, I didn't have the discipline, I had the work ethic. But I needed somebody to push me. I needed somebody to show me the way and kind of teach me. Like, this is what you have to do to be successful. And he gave me the blueprint. Like, he kind of.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's fire.

[C.J. McCollum]

Whatever he did wrong. He was like, okay, I did these things wrong. I did these things right. I'm gonna teach you what I did right. And I'm gonna steer away from what I did wrong. And he's like, you got more time than me because you get to watch me live this life first. So we gotta take advantage. Like, I'm gonna make the mistakes for us, and then you gotta learn from them. So it was like, if I failed, it's. Cause I just failed. He gave me everything I needed to succeed. I just had to go do the work and have to the mental fortitude to push forward. But also circumstance matters. Situation matters. Like, I hit a growth spurt at the right time. I go to the right school. Like, everything kind of fell into place with hard work and prayer and. And just luck. But I say all this to say that, like, I made a lot of mistakes, but my circumstances dictated my life. Like, I get drafted to Portland, it's nothing to do there. Yeah, like, you good at your job. It's like Ohio, like, growing up in certain places. Like, yeah, you're gonna be really good at what you do if you lock in because there's nothing to do. Yeah, there's no real distraction if I would have got drafted to Miami. I always joke, like, I might have been. I might have made it to 10 years. Like, you never know the circumstances of your situation. But, like, I was. I was locked in and mature because I Had a mature brother. And if he was immature, I would have been immature too. But like, he shaped, he shaped the work. And then I seen his success, then I was like, oh, like this works.

[IBM AI Advertiser]

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah. You mean to tell me if I get up 500 shots, if I get 500 makes, I'm gonna hit eight threes?

[Club 520 Co-host]

See, that's how I was at Wake Forest. It wasn't nothing to do. So I lived in the gym. But when I got to Atlanta, Atlanta.

[DJ Wells]

Different, clearly I went to the gym.

[C.J. McCollum]

But like, yeah, it wasn't the same. You know, I went to the gym a lot.

[DJ Wells]

You was locked in when I wasn't.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Playing, I went to a lot. But when I started playing, I ain't do the same work.

[C.J. McCollum]

But you can still turn up. Like. Like there's a balance. Like, I live a good life. Like, I still. Like, you gotta do what you gotta do, but there's a balance. And understanding of like success comes from consistency. Yeah, you can go out here, there. Like, I eat well, but like when I was younger, I ate. I don't eat like I do now. Like everything I do now is better. It's more amplified. Because I know so much now. I understand exactly what I need to do to be ready by 7pm Tomorrow's a 3pm game. I know exactly what I needed to do to be ready by 3pm I know what I should eat. I know the times, I know what time I should nap. I know what time I FaceTime the kids. I know what time I'm texting my wife. Like, I know exactly what I'm gonna do throughout the day. Because I had trial and error. But there was nights. I mean, I had some hitty nights, like tequila nights. Like we did all of that and I still could go get buckets. But now it's just like I know better and I already did it. So it's like, nah, I can just drink some wine and go to sleep. Or like, it is what it is. But we didn't did it all. We've done it all and experienced it all. But it's like, yeah, it's like I always say there comes a time where you gotta put away childish things to kind of like pick a lane. And now like I'm the second oldest on the team, so it's like I remember when I was the youngest. Yeah, Now I'm the oldest and I don't want to. I don't want to phase out because of lack of discipline. If I phase out, it's because I either chose to leave or it just wasn't the right situation for me. Like I don't want the league to just be done with me, I want to be done with the league. I got to do everything right it to my body and my mind so that peak performances. I can go and go over 10 tomorrow. But I did everything I was supposed to do. So like it should have worked out and law averages says it will work out long term. But like you're gonna have those games where you miss shots and shit, but it's not gonna be for lack of preparation.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's why I wanted to ask you had your brother off the court, of course, who was that vet or anybody when you got to Portland that took you under their wing?

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, I had some, I had some real OGs. Like my rookie year I had Mo Williams, Steve Blake, shout out to my guy D. Wright, I had Chris Kamen, Earl Watson and then like mid tier vets, I call him like the mid 20s. Back in the day mid 20s was like older. For the league now like nil, you got 24, 25 year old rookies. But I had Wesley Matthews, Nicos, Lamar, I had Lopez, I had obviously me and Dame. Yeah, I had Will Barton shout out to my guy, Will the Thrill, Will the Thrill, Thomas, Robinson, Myers, Leonard.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh yeah, he was good bro.

He had a squad.

[C.J. McCollum]

We was cold.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I think I had a great blend of young guys, mid tier and vets.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, and our vets was like Mo used to make me sit in his room. He'd drink his whiskey and make me sit in his room and just tell me stories. D. Wright used to like, you know, we're gonna go out, young fella, we're gonna do this, we're gonna go out to eat. Like that's my guy to this day. But like we like a really good group of guys. Chris Kamen, I mean we own restaurants together. We owned a bunch of culverts in Michigan together. Like just a good solid dude. Pat Collington. Shout out to my guy. Pat, he was a young bull, now he's got a real estate empire.

[DJ Wells]

Basketball's done the past. That's his part time job. Pat and I got a lot of.

[C.J. McCollum]

Properties and stuff together too. But it's like we talked about. Shout out to my guy at Davis, my guy at Davis, Steam room mafia. We used to, you know North Carolina?

[DJ Wells]

Yes sir. Yeah, that's my dog.

[C.J. McCollum]

There's a lot. So a lot of real ones who came from like different circumstances and different walks of life. But like we go out to eat together, we talk about business, talk about kids, life and then we go get.

[Club 520 Co-host]

It in n that's all.

[C.J. McCollum]

You know what I'm saying? So it was like a perfect blend where like, you know, we land in Miami, the sprinter be there. Like it is what it is. But like I got to see like every aspect of life as a 20 year old to where like now I'm in my 30s and it's just like, like, damn. Like this is coming full circle. Like when I was youngest, now I'm almost the oldest. It's like gotta enjoy it before it's over.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Hell yeah.

See, they got the sprinter for Miami. We had a sprinter in Memphis.

Salt Lake.

[DJ Wells]

Salt Lake. Oh wait, Utah.

[C.J. McCollum]

That's nasty work. Salt Lake is crazy.

[DJ Wells]

Just saying it was probably an Astro, man.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Our team was different. That's like when he's saying his teammates like I was the youngest. I was a rookie.

[C.J. McCollum]

A sprinter in Memphis is nasty work. Where are you going?

[DJ Wells]

Shout out to Memphis, man.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Li bro, it's a spot. Memphis, that's all right.

[DJ Wells]

But my rookie year, it was all right.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I don't know if it's all right. It probably ain't there no more. My rookie year, it was all right. But I ain't had nobody my age on my team. So like everybody on my team had either been like a max player at one point in their career, the guy, or they was on their way to being the guy. Like Al was on his way to being the guy. Josh just got paid. I was just a young buck, so wasn't nobody like you could really. Hey, teach me the game. They like, shit, motherfucker, we about to get on these. Hey, we about.

[C.J. McCollum]

We outside.

[Club 520 Co-host]

What you talking about? So I used to be like, damn, I want to go to the gym. And my workout guy was Tyrone Hill. I'm a point guard, guard, special was Tyrone Hill. Tyrone Hill was my workout guy.

[C.J. McCollum]

That's crazy. They failed you. They failed you.

[DJ Wells]

Failed me, my year, they failed.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You said that so cool. I mean, they failed you in some way.

[C.J. McCollum]

They failed you in some ways. But think about what you was able to do with that. Like you probably that into a good career.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I didn't do nothing with that.

Trying to clean.

Cuz I'm like, I think if I.

See this.

[C.J. McCollum]

My rookie year, I got hurt though. So I broke my foot again. Okay? Training camp, I was G league. I didn't play a lot. Second year I broke my index finger. Didn't play a lot. I was third string shooting guard, third string point guard. Wesley towards Achilles, Aaron to follow towards.

[DJ Wells]

Shoulder, Aaron to Follow.

[C.J. McCollum]

So then I had to. I had to play. They had to play me. And then I always say, you don't blow an opportunity by not playing your blood, by not being ready. And I was ready.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Cj, you a good dude, though, bro. But I swear to God, you'd have been hot if you rolled the ball out. And it was Tyrone Lou teaching you. That's my guy. Tyrone Hill as your guard instructor.

[C.J. McCollum]

You gotta make it do what he do.

[DJ Wells]

But I did. You know what we did?

[Club 520 Co-host]

Shoot 10 jumpers at five spots, baby. Let's get to it.

And we knew that as kids with our friends. Nigga, I'm in the NBA.

[C.J. McCollum]

It wasn't a real development plan in place.

[DJ Wells]

No, it was no development plan.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Luckily, Nick Van Exel came and quit. Came. And then. That's when my career kind of changed. He, like, took me under his wing.

[C.J. McCollum]

But then your game evolved because you had, like, real instruction.

[Club 520 Co-host]

But my rookie year, NBA was like playground, bro.

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

And you was going out in Memphis, so you was.

[DJ Wells]

You gotta think.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I was a young guy. You know how it is when you get young.

[C.J. McCollum]

You have to go, though. Now it's like, it's leeway. And, like, now, like, we don't make our rookies do anything. They got the backpacks, but they don't really do real activities. When you was younger, it was, like, mandated. Like, you gotta go. It was like, you gotta do this, you gotta do that. Like, it's not a question. It's like, rook, be downstairs at this time. Rook, I need my loop at this time. Brooke. I need the McGriddle with the hash browns and the orange juice. And it was just like, I know they're gonna break me off some bread. So it is what it is. I'm gonna do it. First you push back, and then it gets worse. So you're like, let me just fall in line. Like, I don't want no problem. And then it gets easier. And they start giving you $800 to go get McDonald's. And you're like, 800? Yeah, I know how much McDonald's in LA. I know how much McDonald's cost, nigga.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[DJ Wells]

I was, like, out the gate. Did you have to learn or did you know what I'm saying? You felt like I had to learn.

[C.J. McCollum]

Okay. Neil called me into the office. He was like, cj, I need him to like you, man. Right now. They don't like you.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, you were saying no to everything.

[C.J. McCollum]

I was wilding out. I went to school four years. Like, I'm an adult. Like, I ain't even a kid. It's like, yo, like, y' all not gonna talk to me me like that. And it was like, yeah, we are. And I was like, talk to me like that. I'm talking crazy. After I score on him and everything, I'll never forget I caught LA on the switch. LA said, you know, LA is a man. Shout out to my guy.

[DJ Wells]

La shout out to Marcus.

[C.J. McCollum]

I caught him on the switch, and he said something to me. I said, pop, pop. And he said, that's off. I said off in your ass.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yo, he said, who the this rook?

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah. Oh, you was on bullshit earlier.

[C.J. McCollum]

But I ain't know. Like, I'm out here trying to eat. Like, I'm like, I've been starving my whole life. Life. Now I'm in the league, and I ain't playing. Somebody got to pay. Every practice matters. They got to pay, they got to pay. And they ain't like, they ain't taking practice seriously. This is my game. Yeah, I'm talking crazy. It set me back a little bit, but I made up for it.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Did you popcorn your car or anything?

[C.J. McCollum]

Nah, it didn't get to that point. I fell in line fast. I was like, donuts. All right. What kind of donuts?

[DJ Wells]

Krispy Kreme.

[C.J. McCollum]

Wait till the light is on. Like, I got you. I fell in line. Like, it took me like two weeks, but I think if I had another week, it was over for me.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, you fell in line.

[C.J. McCollum]

Quit.

[Club 520 Co-host]

It took me like three months.

[DJ Wells]

Hey, shout out to Chon, man. Making money moves here. Club 520. We highlight somebody that's getting to it on it off the court, man. And there's no better person to choose this episode than our guy, C.J. mack. Man, listen, we didn't want to jinx the episode, make sure he got buckets when he pulled up in town, but now that the game is over, we can talk about it. C.J. be getting to it this year. How y' all feeling about CJ, man?

[Club 520 Co-host]

18 points on the year he came into the city and dropped 18 on us. So my boy been on a tear. 15 year vet keep killing my boy.

[C.J. McCollum]

Sh.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, well said. Now, T, you always talk about how C.J. always been consistent with his buckets. 18 this year. Always been around. 20, man. What's the key to consistency for so many years in the league?

[Club 520 Co-host]

I think it's preparation. I think he talked about it on the episode, how much he prepared for the games and what he do to get ready for, you know, to be a star. Player like he is averaging 18 this year. One of the veterans on that group. And to come to Indianapolis and get a win, that definitely was a money move.

[DJ Wells]

Well said man. Listen CJ been killing for a long time off the court. An episode. You hear more about his investments he's made and the longevity will be there man. One time for Chon over here at Club 520.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

Love the night reach for Zyn After Dark, a limited cocktail inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down. Try Zinn's Mojito Spiced Cider and Espresso Martini Nicotine pouches. Find them at select retailers. Available while supplies last. Zyn After Dark. Bring on the night. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[DJ Wells]

Yo, it's DJ Wells here. Tomorrow at 8:30pm Eastern it's the Emirates NBA Cup Championship Game on Prom. This year's quest for the cup has been building to this the Championship game. Live from Las Vegas. Not a prime member. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. Emirates NBA Cup Championship Game Coverage starts at 8:30pm Eastern only on promotion restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.

[IBM AI Advertiser]

So you're telling me that the AI that's meant to make everyone's job easier to manage just adds more to manage? On top of the thousands of apps the IT department already manages? Funny how that works. Any business can add AI. IBM helps you scale and manage AI to change how you do business. Lets create Smile to business IBM.

[Halion Advertiser]

So next summer, the biggest soccer event on earth is coming to the US for the first time in over 20 years. Now is the time to get in on the action. Every rivalry, every crazy skill and of course, every goal. And we all know that every goal starts with an assist. It's true for soccer and it's true for health. That's why Halion, makers of Advil, Tums, Sensodyne, Centrum and Voltaren, is teaming up with US Soccer to launch for the Assist. It's a new campaign that celebrates those everyday acts of support that help people achieve their goals. Whether it's the fans cheering their hearts out in an electric stadium or the rec player who's keeping fit for weekend games, Halion is there for them. To learn more, go to helionassist.com Let.

[Richard Sherman]

Me tell you about Ready or Not, the tactical first person shooter where you take command of a SWAT team and feel the weight of the badge. Recently, I reunited with my legion of boom teammates. Cliff Averill, Cam Chancer, Michael Bennett and Walter Thurman. We partnered with Ready or Not to go through actual SWAT training and film the whole experience. Watch it now at the Richard Sherman Podcast YouTube channel. Here's what makes this game different. It's not just mindless run and gun. Just like the Legion of Boom. Built an elite defense on strategy and teamwork. Ready or not demands the same mentality. You're commanding a SWAT team, clearing rooms, protecting civilians, making tactical calls. As a coordinated team with 18 missions that challenge you in completely different ways, every operation demands that same discipline and teamwork. Best part, try it for free for a limited time on PlayStation and Xbox. Go solo or squad up with five players in full crossplay support. If you want strategic, high stakes action that rewards elite tactics and fast thinking, then this is the game for you. Try Ready or Not for free today on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

[C.J. McCollum]

And S. I got my car apart the popcorns.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, I picked Bibby up full court in practice one day. He said, what the are you doing? So they told me, pick you up full court.

Yeah, bro, but you try to give a motherfucker a donut that was four months old, so he was bound to get your popping.

[DJ Wells]

You picking up BB4 court disgrace.

[Club 520 Co-host]

He said, what are you doing? I was like, he told me to pick you up. He said, you sure about that?

[C.J. McCollum]

Car was popped off to pick him up.

[DJ Wells]

I'm doing my job. I thought you did something wrong. He said, toby, don't ever try to.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Embarrass me like that.

[DJ Wells]

I was like, damn, I thought you.

[C.J. McCollum]

Didn'T do a chore or do this.

[Club 520 Co-host]

When did you get your opportunity?

[C.J. McCollum]

So my, my rookie year, I was, I was G league shorty for like a, like a week. And then I transitioned back into DMP shorty for a while and then, damn, that was like the 10th man. But you got an eight man rotation.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

So you just a stay ready guy. You playing, you know your game is like 3pm this is pre Uber, pre Postmates. So like, you got to get to the arena on your own house, car, whatever, work out, run the stairs. Me and Will play one on one. Me and T, Rob, Will, Myers, Earl. We play two on two. That's the game. Game starts, take your shower. You know you ain't playing. So that was like rookie year, second year I played a little bit, broke my finger. Back to DNP Shorty. And then it got to like January, February, like end of February, March, mid March, like right before you get to that April push. We like second in the west. We killing west is having a Great year. Everybody's playing well. Like, we. Like a well oiled machine. We got like a good five and like a good five that comes in like everybody nice. Like, I'm like, oh, shit. We got action. Like, we got. We got a real chance to like, make a run.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

And Wesley tears his Achilles. I'm like, oh, shit, I'm. I'm back up now. I'm like, I might actually. I might have to get taped. I might get taped before the games again. And then Aaron followed Terrace's shoulder. So I go from third string to like, they gotta play me. Even if they don't start me, they gotta play me. And then from there, finish the regular season. And then my first round is against the Memphis Grizzlies. Tony Allen. Tony locked my shit up, man. He locked me up. Game one, game two, I kind of figured it out. Game three, I had like 30, 27, 26. Season ends. I sit in the front office and they like, yeah, Wesley's gonna sign with Dallas. Wesley gets 70 million off the Achilles. Aaron follows with my agent. He was like, I'm not coming back, young fella. It's yours. Like, I'm leaving. And I was like, cool. Pause on that. That's crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah. That's why you was cooking. This is your journey.

[DJ Wells]

I was gonna respect.

[C.J. McCollum]

How you doing? Skip it.

[DJ Wells]

I was gonna let you go.

[Richard Sherman]

It's crazy.

[C.J. McCollum]

Oh, wow. Crazy.

[DJ Wells]

The replay make it worse.

[C.J. McCollum]

It's crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

But. I'm just saying.

[C.J. McCollum]

Long story short, they say, yo, you're gonna start at shooting guard. You're gonna play backup point guard. I'm like, I'm adding minutes. I'm like, how many minutes is that? I'm like, fuck. If I'm gonna start at shooting guard, that's like 25. Let's say Dame sits for like seven, seven to 12 minutes. I'm like, that's like 36 minutes. Okay. I said, I'm about to go crazy. I'm about to go crazy. I'm like a dog off the leash.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

So my brother, I said, I'm about to kill. He was like, what you've been waiting for. Now we'll know how hard you work. Now we'll see what the work is all about. And I was like, that was it. Yeah. I went from averaging 6 to 20.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You want to hear a crazy story? So I remember he was telling a story. He might be on your podcast or somebody. And he was like, yeah. My agent was like, we can sign the four year 32. Like Jeff Teague. He was like, or we can wait and play it out and I'mma go get some money. And I remember I came up to him in the game. I was like, hey, man, why you say about my money, man? Why you do that? And he was like, no, I wasn't saying it like, in a bad thing. I mean, you got paid. But I was like, I know I could get more.

[C.J. McCollum]

That was fire.

[DJ Wells]

I walked away.

[C.J. McCollum]

I was like, is he pressing me? I was like, the pressure, that's hard.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I was like, damn, I just walked away. I was like, yeah, that's kind of funny.

[C.J. McCollum]

But no, I was like, I did. I remember what I said. I used to look at. Used to go on hoops, hype and look at deals and, like, look at stats. I did this my whole life. Like, before I went to Lehigh, I knew George Hill stats. I knew Steve Nash. I knew every, like Steph Curry. Every, like, borderline, like, mid major that goes to the league, like, first round. I looked at him, I looked at East Snow, obviously went to Michigan state, but Keith McLeod went to bowling Green. Antonio Daniels. So, like, I knew Antonio Daniels, Ohio legend. So I knew, like, all right, I gotta average this. I gotta be this efficient. I gotta get to the tournament. So I knew. So when it came to the contracts in the league, I did the same thing. I looked at your trajectory, size, points, obviously, statistics, how good is the team? And I was like, okay, he's getting like eight. Okay, this guy's getting like 12. What do I have to do? And how much team success do we have to have for me to get paid? Cause it's all blended together. You can kill in a bad team, and it's like, no one cares. So it's like blended success. You need to be good individually, good numbers, shoot well. From 3, I got the creativity off the bounce. I can play one into two. I could score three level score right at the floaters, whatever. But, like, is your team winning? So I was like, yeah, we're winning games, right? We weren't supposed to make the playoffs. Make the playoffs. I averaged a dub shoot, 40, 41 from three. So it's like I got. They gotta pay me at least, like, 17 to 20 because I'm 22 years old. So it's like I just kind of knew, like, age, statistics, team success. So, like, I was like, they got to pay me more than that because I'm younger. I'm younger than Jeff was when he got paid. So that's what I meant. No disrespect.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Nah, it wasn't.

I mean, it wasn't I just like how clean you kept it. Like, I mean, I said what I said.

[DJ Wells]

Respect. I was just.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I wouldn't even.

[DJ Wells]

I was.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I was really. You know, me.

Yeah.

So I was just like, why you say that, bro? He was like, now I know I could get more. I just. Look, I'm like, shit, who the fuck. His agent.

Especially how he broke it down. He already had.

You had me in the bag.

I'm doing way better than this.

That's how they always do.

I was like, you let that Terry bone.

[DJ Wells]

I know, I know, I know.

[C.J. McCollum]

I let it go.

[DJ Wells]

I got to ask.

[C.J. McCollum]

When.

[DJ Wells]

You know what I'm saying? That bad came through, obviously. You said turmoil. First couple years, and you hooped out. Then we started to get paid. What was that feeling like the best.

[C.J. McCollum]

Feeling in the world, man.

[DJ Wells]

Yes, sir.

[C.J. McCollum]

My agent. My agent hit me and he was like, I think we're at, like, all right, like, 97. I was like, 97 what? He's like, 97 million? I said, take it.

[DJ Wells]

Send it now.

[C.J. McCollum]

It's early. It's early. I said, early.

[DJ Wells]

I don't want to be late.

[C.J. McCollum]

My guy like, we good. He was like, trust me, cj, we good. But I was supposed to fly this. My brother was in TBT at the million dollar tournament. So I was in Vegas. I was supposed to fly to Philly to watch his championship. He was like, don't go to the East Coast. We gotta sign this deal. Like, stay on the West Coast. So my now wife, my girlfriend at the time, we're in Vegas, and I'm like, we're going out tonight. Young, young, young. See, it was outside, and it was a great night. And then the next day, I flew to Portland, and it was four years. Was it 100? 104 years. 106 million. And I was like. I couldn't. I was. I was shaking. When I was like, oh, my God. Everything. I pray for more. Shout out to the goat Sam Goldfeder. Shout out to my. I always joke my claim to fame is I got more than Giannis in my first extension.

[DJ Wells]

Shout out to my guy Yanni.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, yeah. That's hard, bro.

N. That's fire. I was like, damn. When I seen these signs.

[C.J. McCollum]

You got 100?

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's when he said it. Let's go get them acres for this. Go get 300.

[DJ Wells]

Whose house is this?

[C.J. McCollum]

Your house, mama. Who else?

[Club 520 Co-host]

What was the first thing you copped, though?

[C.J. McCollum]

No, I mean, I was. I went to Lehigh, man. So it's just, like, understanding of finance, and I just had this. This. This fear going broke my whole life. It's just like I was afraid like, y' all gonna go broke. So I bought my mom. My mom a car. I bought myself a car. Eventually, I bought my dad a car. And then my brother, you know, he getting to the chicken too. So we went halfsies on a lot of stuff, you know what I'm saying? Like, half on mom's crib, half home. My brother's crib.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's hard.

[C.J. McCollum]

My dad's crib. So it's like I didn't really buy nothing crazy, man. I did buy this iced out cross, you know, I still got. I don't really wear it anymore, but I bought this iced out cross and that was really it, man.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Okay.

[C.J. McCollum]

I wanted to get the Porsche 911, but I was afraid, so I didn't do it. But then when I signed that one, I got the. I got the Aston Martin DB11. That was like 20, 27, 2018. Okay, so I still got her. She's in storage right now waiting on. Waiting on me.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Nah, for sure. For sure, man.

[DJ Wells]

Man, I ain't gonna lie, boy. I see 100 plus everything for sale. Map me a couple posters. But then I'll be out the league.

[Club 520 Co-host]

He did the right way.

Not to get my first dip ever. Gave me 100 million.

[DJ Wells]

Boy, I wouldn't be married. I love my wife to death. Love you, P. Boy, I would have been Miami.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I would have been Star Isle, south beach team.

[DJ Wells]

South beach team wouldn't put you on Star Island.

[C.J. McCollum]

Let's get New York rectangle next to me.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Look, cj.

[Richard Sherman]

Chad.

[DJ Wells]

I wouldn't be my Diddy, though.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Island is fire, though.

[DJ Wells]

Got much real estate down there.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Y' all crazy, man. Yeah, crazy.

[DJ Wells]

I thought.

[C.J. McCollum]

Hey, I watched it. Me and my wife watched the.

[DJ Wells]

Out that documentary.

[C.J. McCollum]

What?

[DJ Wells]

Watch the. Out of that popcorn and everything.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I think everybody. I think everybody.

[DJ Wells]

One of the craziest documentaries of all time, bro.

[C.J. McCollum]

Incredible, bro.

[DJ Wells]

The fact that he really made them walk for that cheesecake is still mind, boy. For me being in New York and see how far that is.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Honestly, Jesus, that's. That's probably the mildest thing he did.

[C.J. McCollum]

No. Okay.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

That is that little journey. I probably would have signed up for that.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, yeah. Gonna say compared to other things that are allegedly place all bad.

[C.J. McCollum]

But the interviews are so out of pocket.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, well, you got that many people waiting to talk about what you did to them, bro. That's crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I'm not even taking up for nothing. He did. I just don't like to me, I feel like if we all criminals, let's just go down together. That's why I can't with too many people, cj. Cause I'm like, bro, if we all did this, ride out with me, bro. Don't get on here saying, man, I watched the. I just didn't even say nothing, though. No, you guilty, too.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Hey, don't do that.

[DJ Wells]

It was a lot of complicit people in there, for sure.

[C.J. McCollum]

He did a lot. They did a lot collectively, but that was crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, I think.

[C.J. McCollum]

And. And the crazy part is this is like his own footage. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I'm just saying let's see what go down together, bro. I just don't like when one person.

[DJ Wells]

We all do a crime.

[Club 520 Co-host]

We all supposed to go down.

Yes, bro. You ain't supposed to get out before.

Me, so if you. You commit the crime.

[DJ Wells]

But we watched it.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You want us to go to jail with you?

Yes, bro. Sit down. N. That's crazy.

[DJ Wells]

I ain't gonna snitch on you, but why I gotta go to jail?

[Club 520 Co-host]

I ain't do it.

Yes, you did. Yes, you did.

I wanted to see you knock somebody out.

No, that's different.

[C.J. McCollum]

If they say you gotta go to jail for life or tell you telling for him. Yeah.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I'm good as toasty. This is.

[DJ Wells]

This is.

[Club 520 Co-host]

This shit. Short live remix. The group chat 5:20 over.

[DJ Wells]

I'll be like, if any.

[Club 520 Co-host]

But we taking auditions for 520.

[DJ Wells]

The same guy put some money on his books is crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, yeah. I got out of 20,000 on him.

I'm saying, if we did a crime and we all in the car, we all need to go down, bro. If we all a part of it. That's it. That's all I'm saying.

I respect all this.

He did. I'm not even about to. I'm just saying I don't like when everybody just turning on him when getting dark.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah. Some of the people that was complicit in there, y' all was out of pocket.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah. That's all respect. All right.

[DJ Wells]

I got to ask this question, obviously, in Washington now, but what was that moment like, knowing that she was leaving Portland?

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, that was tough, man. Like that. That's still home to this day. And, you know, it was a. I always say there's bad divorces and good divorces. It was a. It was a. It was a good split. It was amicable. We had some great conversations about the process, where I was going to go. Teams that we kind of talked through. And Joe did a great job of kind of orchestrating that trade in the midst of, you know, some chaotic times. Right. Obviously, it's post Covid. There's a lot going on, and I had a say in where I was going, so I can't complain about that departure. It was a great time. And one day I'll go back and make it do what he do again, or my jersey will be in the rafters, and we'll just enjoy those times. But I think we handled it well, so I have no ill will. I love them. I still watch a lot of their games on league pass. And I go to Oregon every summer, so I'm still there. I got a business there, Obviously. We got the nursery, got the farm. So it's just a place that's always gonna be close to home. But it was hard to leave, right? Like, it's tough. You spend your, you know, the beginning of your adulthood there. You learn, you grow, you develop. A lot of my first memories in the NBA are there, and you'll never forget those. You know, the first house you buy, the first. Like, everything is there. The first basket you score, that's meaningful. The first playoff game, first game winner. So it's like, that's a place that'll always be near and dear to me. But, like. Like, now, thankfully, I'm in a position where I can always go back, and I have roots there.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Literally.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah. Cause I know, like, I probably speak with all of us. We were big fans of those Portland teams. Obviously, I was going neck and neck with Ghost at the time, period. So then you see it happen. It's like, okay, maybe they might move on. Then obviously, we see you move on. Did you ever think there was gonna be a time period they would have traded Damian Lillard?

[C.J. McCollum]

I didn't.

[DJ Wells]

I think that shocked everybody.

[C.J. McCollum]

I think the team was in a different space, and I think they had to make a decision on, like, is it a rebuild? Is it. Do we kind of play with parody? And Dame was obviously trying to win a championship. Did I think he's gonna get traded to Milwaukee in the middle of the night? No.

[DJ Wells]

Hell, no.

[C.J. McCollum]

I didn't foresee that happening. But in this business, you just kind of never know. And there's not a lot of lifers. Giannis could be a lifer, but, like, who knows what's gonna happen with that situation, right? Like, there's not a lot of lifers in this league. No matter how good you are, like, it's hard to be on a team, you know? Dirk Nowinski Style, like, where you do 20 years or whatever.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Like.

[C.J. McCollum]

Like, thought Luca would be, you know, I like it, but, like, you just never know in this business. So it's unfortunate, but he made his way back, and my guy, D is happy. He's progressing well. He looks moving well. I'm back with his kids, so he's in a good spot. And, you know, mentally, I think he's in a much better position. And it's hard going from being around, like, his family is in Oregon. Like, everybody's there. You go from that to being in Milwaukee, where it's, like, negative 10 and it's other side of the world. Like, it's a difficult transition.

[DJ Wells]

Our Buck's legend over here. He was talking about that.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Definitely a legend.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Talk about it. They ain't one one without you since, bro. But you said early on, and people was criticizing for it. He was like, damn, should go back to.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, I said it. I knew where his heart was. I knew where he wanted to be to me. Like, you could tell me everything you want to say, but when you the guy of an organization.

Yeah.

And they say the letter O when he come out, they don't even say number zero. They say the letter oh, yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

I mean, he can't do no wrong in there forever.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah. Facts.

[C.J. McCollum]

I mean, she's good. Everybody's good there. Like, I get it. Like, I feel the love. And I wasn't him.

[DJ Wells]

You know what I'm saying?

[C.J. McCollum]

Like, they love me, and I wasn't that. You know what I'm saying? So it's, like, crazy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You was, though.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, bro.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I don't like when you say that.

Y' all had some crazy battles, especially.

[C.J. McCollum]

I mean, I can hoop, but, like, it's.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Y' all was a small back core, bro.

Dynamic, bro. Yeah, it was. It was. Was Clay and Steph.

[DJ Wells]

Then it was you and D. A th percent, bro.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Like, the best back course in the league. Yeah, that's what it was.

Real humble, bro.

[DJ Wells]

Y' all was DRA too, bro.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, y' all was nasty.

[DJ Wells]

And to be fair, that G18 was stupid. Yeah. Like, come on, bro. That was nice.

[C.J. McCollum]

They was.

[Club 520 Co-host]

They was.

[C.J. McCollum]

Without them, like, we might have had a chance at a chip for sure. But they. They us up, man.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I wish I would have had LA a little longer.

[C.J. McCollum]

LA would have stayed.

[DJ Wells]

I agree.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I swear to go. Y' all would have had.

[C.J. McCollum]

We might have got one.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Like, I ain't that post.

[C.J. McCollum]

That post present just dropped back. Go get your 40 ball. Pop is him.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's the best big you play with. Keep it real.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah. I mean, who else have I play with?

[Club 520 Co-host]

Hold on. You play with Freaky Z, the legend.

[DJ Wells]

Think I was gonna let you leave.

[C.J. McCollum]

You.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Think I was gonna let you leave me?

[DJ Wells]

I love la.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Give me Z.

[C.J. McCollum]

LA is a.

[DJ Wells]

Legend.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Cause y' all just transfer him.

[C.J. McCollum]

He's so dynamic and explosive and athletic, but he's a different type of big. L is like a. Nah, for sure.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I was bullish.

[C.J. McCollum]

That was like a post traditional big pick pop. Z is like point forward ducky. And he. He bringing that. He bringing the up. Like he doing all of that. So it's like a different variable. But I also never got to see Z play in the playoffs, so it's different. I see El go give Dwight 40 and 20 and he's so. It's like Z has the potential to do that, but I haven't been able.

[DJ Wells]

To see it yet.

[C.J. McCollum]

So, like, it's hard to judge regular season.

[Club 520 Co-host]

No, I got you. No, I'm playing LA all day, bro. It's not even close.

[C.J. McCollum]

Comparison is a thief of joy. But, like, in regular season when Z plays, he's doing number. He's box office all star for sure. But it's like this comparing them is not. It's just not fair. But like, if we would have had L, it's funny. Like, if you know then what you. If you know then what you knew now, like, I would have tried to get him to stay. Like, we would have all, like. But I didn't know, like he was going until it was too late.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah. I used to just hate how they used to just try to break y' all up. Cause they said y' all was too small to win.

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

It's like some days when he's winning 47 and 52 games, like a problem.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah. I just. I never understood that I would.

[DJ Wells]

Even in the west, in the wild out.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I literally hated that crew.

Yeah. But he was. He used to tell me, like, just man in their position, why they saying it's cause you getting six, eight, six, nine, two guards now. Like, it ain't that they not killing. It's just that's what they seeing now.

[C.J. McCollum]

That's what these kids is creating, these monsters.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I used to run that. That flare action.

[C.J. McCollum]

I thumb the loop.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, my God. I used to be like. I used to pick my poison. I used to come out be like, I got dang. Like that. I got cj. I'm like that. I ain't got cj. I'm guarding CJ either. I guard Nico. You won't go that.

Right.

I'm like, I can stay with that. They about to run off these players now.

[C.J. McCollum]

He for sure guard, right?

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah, for sure. I could guard that which I was dying.

[DJ Wells]

Shout out to Nick Pato still don't say contributing the league, bro.

[Club 520 Co-host]

He a good player though.

[DJ Wells]

He's still contributing, bro.

[C.J. McCollum]

I like even.

[Club 520 Co-host]

He about about. He about 17 and ain't he somewhere, guys?

[DJ Wells]

He's in a league of minute bro.

[Club 520 Co-host]

40, bro.

[DJ Wells]

Nick Baton.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

Before we get Love the night reach for Zinn After Dark, a limited cocktail inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down. Try Zinn's Mojito Spiced cider and Espresso Martini Nicotine pouches. Find them at select retailers. Available while supplies last. Zinn After Dark. Bring on the night. Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[DJ Wells]

Yo, it's DJ Wells here. Tomorrow at 8:30pm Eastern it's the Emirates NBA Cup Championship game on prom. This year's quest for the cup has been building to this, the championship game live from Las Vegas. Not a prime member. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. Emirates NBA Cup Championship game coverage starts at 8:30pm Eastern only on promotion restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.

[IBM AI Advertiser]

So let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there and everywhere, but your AI can't use the data because it's here, there and everywhere? Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives to change how you do business.

[Richard Sherman]

Business.

[IBM AI Advertiser]

Let's create Smile to business IBM.

[Halion Advertiser]

So next summer, the biggest soccer event on earth is coming to the US for the first time in over 20 years. Now is the time to get in on the action. Every rivalry, every crazy skill and of course, every goal. And we all know that every goal starts with an assist. It's true for soccer and it's true for health. That's why Halion, makers of Advil, Tums, Sensodyne, Centrum and Voltaren, is teaming up with US Soccer to launch for the assist. It's a new campaign that celebrates those everyday acts of support that help people achieve their goals. Whether it's the fans cheering their hearts out in an electric stadium or the rec player who's keeping fit for weekend games, Halion is there for them. To learn more, go to helionassist.com Let.

[Richard Sherman]

Me tell you about Ready or Not, the tactical first person shooter where you take command of a SWAT team and feel the weight of the badge match. Recently, I reunited with my Legion of Boom teammates, Cliff Averill, Cam Chancer, Michael Bennett and Walter Thurman. We partnered with Ready or not to go through actual SWAT training and film the whole experience. Watch it now at the Richard Sherman Podcast YouTube channel. Here's what makes this game different. It's not just mindless run and gun. Just like the Legion of Boom built an elite defense on strategy and teamwork work, Ready or Not demands the same mentality. You're commanding a SWAT team, clearing rooms, protecting civilians, making tactical calls. As a coordinated team with 18 missions that challenge you in completely different ways, every operation demands that same discipline and teamwork. Best part, try it for free for a limited time on PlayStation and Xbox. Go solo or squad up with five players in full crossplay support. If you want strategic, high stakes action that rewards elite tactics and fast thinking, then this is the game for you. Try Ready or Not for free today on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

[DJ Wells]

And S. Before we get out of.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Here, I just wanted to ask you, like, okay, you was in New Orleans and that was a new situation. And it was, you know, it was a different situation. But now to be in Washington and be the oldest guy on the team, second oldest.

[C.J. McCollum]

Chris. Chris older than me.

[DJ Wells]

Shout out to Chris Milson.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Shout out to my guy. Chris. Nah, man, not Cash. Cash Middleton. But to be one of the older guys on the team, like the vet and guys looking up to you, asking you questions. Is there any guy that really sticks out to you from this young group to be like, I think he's going to be special in five years when we talk about this a little later.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah, I think I'm going to talk about them all specifically individually or maybe three of them. Big fellasar asks a lot of questions. Obviously he's, you know, he's a footer. Yeah, super skilled. Obviously he's making a jump. He's progressing back from an injury now, but like you can just see the tools, the footwork. He got the turn fade like not la, right. But like the way he plays and moves, the fluidity like the touch. You start to see like the levels of. Could be a two way guy, right? Rim protector, can guard, can switch out 1 through 5. Can play in a drop, can play at the level. Good touch around the basket, can shoot to three. Still like a baby, like, still young. Keyshawn. Like I think the sky's the limit for him.

[DJ Wells]

Nice.

[C.J. McCollum]

Damn near six' ten point. Like he can play the point we Played against Dallas. He guarded ad. Like, he has like range, you know, one through five. He can play every position offensively, level score. Midi's getting better. Learning how to stop and just raise. Can shoot to three, shooting like low 40s. He was at 45 from three last week. So it's like great skill. Bub is always in the gym. Whenever I go in a late night, like, I see him in there. He works. Yeah, six, three his last game. Like Baltimore guy, you know, he's tough, he can guard. He's tall, he's got size. Who else? Bilal. Super tall, athletic. Like, I think they're going after like the right types of players. Great character. You talked about, like, what it was like for you to be a rookie. When we land in cities, I get treatment. They go work out. Like, they are big on development, big on the work, big on progressing. AJ's always in the gym. I think he was in Milwaukee. Loves the game. The kids that they drafted, Will's always in the gym. I mean, I'm probably forgetting Trey over there.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Too many of them.

[C.J. McCollum]

Trey, Trey.

[DJ Wells]

5, 20 alone. I'll shout out to Trey Johnson.

[C.J. McCollum]

Trey gonna be a dog. Like, loves the game. Obviously the jumper is what it is, right? Like it's smooth, it's quick. He loves the game, lives the game, doesn't have no hobbies. He finally started doing like, he told us that he finally started doing bar. So like he's progressing into like a young man, right? Like, he's gone from like a kid to like a young man. Like, maturity wise, his game is maturing. But I think like they're hand picking the right guys, like Ken Whitmore, right? Like super explosive, super athletic, game changer. Like, the talent is unquestioned, you know, so like you see like little glimpses of like, damn, like Tristan, you know, big fella, big Bronte, like, can shoot it. He's like damn near like a footer. His dad was a European legend. Like they have all these guys with intangibles, with skill sets, with ability to grow and evolve and develop. It's just like opportunity, meeting time, meeting when you're ready, meeting like they're 20, 21, 22. So it's like there's so many things, but like, I think the sky's the limit once they kind of like, you know, really settle into being like men, like, mentally and physically, like disguise the limit, like in the next three years. And boys can be like, that's real dogs. Real dogs. Like when they're 24, 25, oh my goodness.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's the scary part because, you know, they all talented. Yeah. But somebody can't stay.

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

Oh yeah.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You know, that's the way it works.

[C.J. McCollum]

But like, but right now it's the vetting process, right? Like near like you got, you got all of these guys. It's the vetting process. Even like Malachi, he's from Ohio, right. My st. V guy, like you have all of these guys and now it's just like, like seeing how the pieces fit on the puzzle. How do they fit on the puzzle? How does the puzzle continue to evolve? Who continues to kind of show more growth than the others? Like, like bags can really hoop. Right? Like, guy's a lottery pick. Guy has real talent. I think he has 16 and 16 last night. Like, he can really get to it. It's just opportunity. It's timing. It's. Are you not hurt at the right time? Yeah. Are you playing on the right team at the right time? Do you get drafted into a great situation or a fucked up situation? Like, there's so many things that factor into the DNA of basketball player and how the world perceives and judges you that like, you can't get caught up in like what you see on the surface level because you don't know what kind of created that. Yeah, that makes sense. It could be environment, it could be confidence, it could be he nice, but he don't have work ethic. All he needs to be. All he needs is to be told, like, I need to do this and he'll go do it. But nobody ever told him, like, it's so many little things that determines your success. And I think a lot of people don't see that.

[DJ Wells]

I was gonna ask you this question. Do you think they'll have the same type of patience going forward? Like for somebody like you? Like you said organization early on, battle some injuries, but you got your sign. It was like that. Nowadays it seems like they give up on draft picks a little bit sooner than they used to. Is that just a new age thing or is it just situational by team?

[C.J. McCollum]

I imagine I think it's both, but it's red flags.

[DJ Wells]

Okay.

[C.J. McCollum]

I was injured, but like there was, like, I was on time. I show up, I work on my craft. It's just is what it is. I wasn't able to play because of injury. Now if you got the injury problems, but then you also got. Can't do the little things. Yeah, you can't master the big things and you fucking up the little things. There's no room for you here. And I think that's the difference in this new age. They get paid earlier so that the title match, okay? There's confidence. There's like. I've been getting money since I was 16. Like, it used to be, like, a dream to make it to the NBA. Like, the watches, the car. Like, these guys got the watches and stuff in their cars, and they 16. So it's like. It's almost counterintuitive. And my senior thesis was on why college athletes should be paid back in 2013. So, like, I understand the intricacies of it and, like, how important it is, but, like, without education and guidance, it's detrimental to the development of basketball. And I think you get these entitled players who don't do the little things, good at the big things, but can't do the little things. And that's when you just like, fuck it, let him go. I don't want to deal. I'd rather have the guy that's not as good, but he gonna do the shit, right, and he'd be a fucking man. It's like, that's important. I try to tell him, like, y' all can have all the talent in the world. I want to be the guy that lasts so long. They like how this nigga still here. You know what I'm saying? Like, you. You. You want it to be like you almost overstayed your welcome, right? Like, you. You so good in the beginning, you're underpaid. And then you get to the point where you see, like, there's a couple guys on every roster. And I was like, go talk to that guy.

[Richard Sherman]

Guy.

[C.J. McCollum]

Yeah. Ask him how he got. How he gets 7 million to not play. Yeah, ask him how he gets 12 million to not play. That's where you want to get to right now. You good.

[DJ Wells]

You got upside.

[C.J. McCollum]

You got all these things. You want to be so valuable where, like, you don't even have to play. And they need you.

[DJ Wells]

Come on, bro. We was looking at the. The video earlier with the rappers and stuff, other teams. Garrett Temple. Garrett Temple, legend. D.J. augustine Kemp. A job.

[C.J. McCollum]

All of them.

[DJ Wells]

Corey Joseph Kempa. Job. All American legends.

[C.J. McCollum]

One of the best humans I ever met.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

Anthony Gill. One of the best humans I've ever met in my life.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, man.

[C.J. McCollum]

So it's like those things matter. Like, now you take your talent with doing the little shit, right? Sky's the limit. You're breaking the pain for sure.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah.

[C.J. McCollum]

And you walk away and you do whatever you want for 60 years.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Well said.

[DJ Wells]

Listen, we got a couple things before we get out of here, we have some fun. One of my favorite tweets of all time, bro. You know where we going here? Jennifer Williams asked you, can you win a playoff game and then talk? And you told her, I'm trying, Jennifer. That is one of my favorite responses of all time.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Nigga had a pop.

[DJ Wells]

She thought she was just sitting here. Bullshit. Like, you playing basketball. Seriously? I think that was one of my favorite tweets of all time, bro.

[C.J. McCollum]

Nah. Like, I used to be on Twitter od. Like, oh, yeah, I'm familiar, D. So, like, seeing that, I just felt it. I was like. Like, yo, I'm trying, you know? Like, you think we out here losing on purpose?

[Club 520 Co-host]

You know what I'm saying?

[C.J. McCollum]

I'm like, yo, what do you expect? Like. Like, do you understand how hard it is, like, to play at this level, consistently under this microscope again against pit bulls and savages, like, with the most elite talent? Like, yo, you think we trying to lose on purpose, yo, you think this is fun?

[DJ Wells]

I done read the 18 screens guarding Steph Curry last night, and you asked me to try harder.

[C.J. McCollum]

You think we want him to shimmy? I think we want to see the shimmy.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, God.

[C.J. McCollum]

You want to see Clay? We want to see that. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, it was, like, just a genuine, like, in the moment. It's like, yo, like, I'm trying, yo.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Like, I see where we going with these things, though. Dj, he's a wild dude.

[DJ Wells]

I know where we going. It's one of my favorites. I want to ask the question, is it crazier now with the fan interaction, especially with, like, you have a lot of things, like, not traditional media. It's like podcasts, like, us and morning shows. Like, us, and we sitting there talking about all this stuff that y' all probably don't want to talk about. Is it different? Like, microscope playing now, but so many people having opinions.

[C.J. McCollum]

I think it's cool. Like, I know how to, like, tune out the distractions so it's like, I can just lock in and focus. I think for the younger guys, like, they care about everything somebody says, and it's like, yo, they hated On Jesus, bro. Like, relax. Yeah, they arguing about how good LeBron is, and it's like, yo, this 40, 000 points.

[Club 520 Co-host]

There'S really nothing to talk about.

[C.J. McCollum]

Steph could go hit 12. Like, he shoots 23. So I'm like, yo, this is the greatest shooter that ever touched a basketball. Like, so there's a bunch of idiots out there that have microphones I think that's the difference. So it's like, you gotta understand, like, Kyp. Like, know your person, facts. Like, yeah, like, if it's. If it's valid. Like, it's valid. It's your truth. Like, I gotta get better at these things, and I know it, but I don't. Like. Like Joe on his couch. Can't tell me how to hoop better. Like Joe. You can't hoop like it is what it is.

[Club 520 Co-host]

You know what I'm saying?

[C.J. McCollum]

Like, my boy. You can't play in your. In your. In your little rec league.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Cause I'll be talking shit. I'm Joe.

[DJ Wells]

Now, listen, cj, we got power wars coming up. I've been seeing the podcasts out there, getting in shape. Three on three. We won't smoke. We said this already.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Line it up, cj, if you got time, I will fly out to Portland. I just need some gym work in the off season.

[DJ Wells]

You know what I'm saying?

[Club 520 Co-host]

I'm tapping in with all my NBA buddies.

[C.J. McCollum]

I'll let y' all know what. I'm out in Oregon, too. For real. For y'. All. Come out, we do a wine taste, and I take y' all to some of my spots.

[DJ Wells]

We'll pull up for shot.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's what we love to do.

[DJ Wells]

We can't wait to go pull up a drink.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Sound like 526.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, we run the three. So all the smoke. I'm not going to ver. I'm cool with that matchup as long as I'm not going to ver.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Shout out. OG oh, we going against all the smoke. I thought we was going against a pivot.

[DJ Wells]

Well, shot.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Start low, start low.

We got pivot.

I'm nothing. No, no, no. All the smoke.

[DJ Wells]

I'm very comfortable with the pivot.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I'm not with Madden. Them, bro. Bro. I'm g. Tell y that right now. They in the gym every day, bro. Stacking them in the gym every day.

[DJ Wells]

I'm not guarding.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I can't guard stack.

I'm cool, bro.

Stack 68.

Yeah, he's still H, bro.

And we can't. We could play Joe and them and, like, bowling. I can't guard Joe.

[C.J. McCollum]

We.

[DJ Wells]

We get triple. We good against. We good against Nightcap, you know, so we triple.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I'm with our.

Still athletic, though.

[DJ Wells]

He not gonna make a layup.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Okay, cool.

[DJ Wells]

I'm. I'm sleep. I've seen the tape.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's all DJ that's all DJ. That's all DJ.

Please. But I can still get 30.

Break out those spades man. I play talk against any. You.

[DJ Wells]

First team all talk. All right, man. Before we get out of here, I don't know if we can play this video, but this is one of my favorite moments by you. You are one of the most.

[C.J. McCollum]

Rocky. I'm a wild bul.

[DJ Wells]

Hey, bro, y' all doing that on the official NBA account. That's why I said CJ's a goat.

[C.J. McCollum]

I got a text for that. For real. They were not happy, but I'm just being me.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Yeah. Oh, D was crying.

[C.J. McCollum]

They was like, bro, you did not.

[DJ Wells]

Bro.

[C.J. McCollum]

That's how you can tell it's co. Look at them cheeks, bro. Like how fat I am, right? The COVID body.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That was a classic, for sure.

[C.J. McCollum]

What you mean, bro?

[DJ Wells]

Y' all are fried, man. Shout out. Freaky Mall, man. One of my favorite PGs in the league, for sure, man.

[C.J. McCollum]

Freaky.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Freaky.

[DJ Wells]

Shout out to the live. Oh, they first team for sure.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Oh, for sure, for sure.

Freaky on Mount Rushmore.

Freaky Z legend.

Some real cj. And I ain't trying to be messy. No, it's nothing crazy. It's nothing crazy. Real.

[DJ Wells]

Okay, Respect.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Have you ever seen her in real life?

[C.J. McCollum]

That's all.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I just want we a. All right, Cool.

[C.J. McCollum]

All right.

[Club 520 Co-host]

That's all. I don't want to go into that. I don't want to go into that. Cj, my guy, we ain't doing that.

[C.J. McCollum]

I never seen her before.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, okay.

[C.J. McCollum]

Not in person, bro. I definitely looked her up afterwards. Going on.

[Club 520 Co-host]

All right.

[C.J. McCollum]

Shout out to Double Double baby. Honestly, the group chat went crazy when this happened.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Shout out to the guys, man.

[C.J. McCollum]

Shout out to the guys.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, man. Let's get out here. If we get any more trouble, be here and tell the people they can grab some merch.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Club520.com CJ, drop them and tell them what? They get the one.

[DJ Wells]

Yes, sir.

[C.J. McCollum]

Tell them Heritage91.com Check it out. We'll get some nice specials together for you. We got pinot. We got sharp.

[DJ Wells]

We got rose.

[C.J. McCollum]

We sell Blonte Blanc sparkling wine. Yeah, we got a single vineyard.

[DJ Wells]

Pinot.

[C.J. McCollum]

This is like a 96 rating. These are like 90 rating. 93. 92. 94, depending on who. Who's rating it, but yes, sir. Support black, business and white.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Sure. Come on, tap in with my guy.

[DJ Wells]

Tap in, man. Holiday season, man. Joyce and wine, man. Listen, big dog, we appreciate you, man. Best luck the rest of the season, man. Keep killing it.

[C.J. McCollum]

Appreciate it.

[DJ Wells]

You know, we fans over here one more time for Hard Rock bet. Be here and got the lays man for Chris Christmas. Don't make it or break it don't matter either way. Tap in either way. Shout out to boost mobile. You know the vibes, man. Get you that new iPhone 17. They'll pull up to your crib and handle the rest. And shout out to chime, man, Be smart this financial season. Be smart this Christmas season, man. Get your money with Chime. Takes two minutes to get you an account. Chime.com no. Yeah. Chime.com Club 5:20. There we go. Last start. Not least, man. Shout out to StockX, man. Yeah, we pulling up, man. We gonna see what's going on in that factory, man.

[Club 520 Co-host]

I just bought a coat off Stockx, man.

[DJ Wells]

Okay, turn me up, man. Hope it's here by Christmas.

[Club 520 Co-host]

The skims okay, boy.

Tapping yeah, by any means necessary. Kim.

[C.J. McCollum]

The Volume.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

Love the night Reach for Zinn After Dark, a limited cocktail inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down. Try Zinn's Mojito Spiced Cider and Espresso Martini Nicotine Pouches. Find them at select retailers. Available while supplies last. Zinn After Dark. Bring on the night. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[C.J. McCollum]

This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. Sunday mornings I've got my game day ritual. Coffee, lucky socks and now new Morning Uncrustable sandwiches.

[Club 520 Co-host]

It's all about that 12 gram protein boost with the new Uncrustables, Bright eyed berry or up and apple flavors.

[C.J. McCollum]

Bright Eye Berries got a feisty receiver energy up an apple.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Your classic do it all tight end.

[C.J. McCollum]

Soft, pillowy, packed with protein and easy enough enough for Gronk to grab from the freezer.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Whether you're on the couch, driving to the tailgate or heading to the locker room, new Morning Uncrustable sandwiches are the MVP of snacks.

[C.J. McCollum]

Your new Sunday kickoff ritual starts here with new morning Uncrustable sandwiches packed with 12 grams of protein.

[Halion Advertiser]

PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite processors are made to go the distance with blazing fast performance, next level efficiency and multi day battery life. Snapdragon processors are built to tackle it all, from highlight reel editing to intense player research so you can be at the top of your game wherever the day takes you. Learn [e-mail] laptops Snapdragon the heart of your PC. Battery life varies significantly based on device settings, usage and other factors. Hi, it's Colin from the Colin Coward podcast. I've been around long enough to know quality when I see it or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's handmade vodka. Good stuff. No flash, no gimmick. Smooth, clean tasting. Made the right way. Tito's. Made in Austin, Texas. Real attention to detail. I like to keep it simple. Tito's. So one lime, lot of ice. Refreshing, easy. Summer, winter, spring. Totally versatile. Always works. Listen, baseball season's here. The perfect time to kick back with some Tito's. It's what I pour. You should too. Distilled and bottled by 5th Generation Inc. Austin, Texas. 40% alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

This is Eva Longoria from Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Rejoicing.

[C.J. McCollum]

Like the song says, it's the most.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

Wonderful time of the year. And also a wonderfully busy one. All that merriment can weigh down even Santa's sleigh. So keep it wonderful by keeping yourself wonderful with a crisp, cold Coca Cola.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Ah.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

Pause for fizzy joy. Look out for yourself and then look out for everyone else. And together, we'll make this season as wonderful as it's meant to be. Enjoy a Coca Cola.

[Club 520 Co-host]

Ola.

[Zyn After Dark Advertiser]

Refresh your holidays.

[C.J. McCollum]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.