What is CJ McCollum's Net Worth and Salary?
CJ McCollum is a professional basketball player who has a net worth of $75 million. CJ McCollum plays for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. Previously, he played for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2013 to 2022, and in his third season was named the NBA's Most Improved Player. In college, McCollum was a star basketball player for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.
Contracts and Salary
In July 2016 CJ signed a 4-year, $106 million extension with the Trailblazers. With the contract his average yearly salary jumped from $2.6 million up to $26.7 million. In August 2019 he signed a 3-year, $100 million extension.
Early Life and High School
Christian James McCollum was born on September 19, 1991 in Canton, Ohio. He has an older brother named Errick who also became a professional basketball player. McCollum attended GlenOak High School, where he played high school basketball with the Golden Eagles. Despite his short stature as a freshman, he grew considerably over the years, adding a full nine inches to his height by his junior year. In his first game as a junior, he set both school and Stark County records with 54 points. As a senior, McCollum averaged 29.3 points per game, and by the time he graduated he had become the leading scorer in GlenOak High School basketball history, with 1,405 points.
Collegiate Career
For college, McCollum went to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. There, he played four seasons of college basketball with the Mountain Hawks. McCollum had immediate success as a freshman, averaging 19.1 points in 33 games and 31 starts. The leading freshman scorer in the country that season, he became the first player ever in the Patriot League to be named both Player and Rookie of the Year. McCollum ended up leading the Mountain Hawks to the 2010 NCAA tournament, where they lost in the first round to Kansas. He had another strong season in 2010-11, increasing his average to 21.8 points per game. As a junior in 2011-12, McCollum earned his second Patriot League Player of the Year honor as the Mountain Hawks recorded their first-ever NCAA Division I tournament victory, beating the Duke Blue Devils 75-70. In his final season at Lehigh, McCollum surpassed Rob Feaster to become the Patriot League's all-time leading scorer. He graduated from Lehigh with a BA in journalism in 2013.
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Portland Trail Blazers
In the 2013 NBA draft, McCollum was chosen with the tenth overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers, making him the first player ever to enter the NBA from Lehigh. However, he sat out the first six weeks of the 2013 regular season due to a foot injury. McCollum ended up making his debut with the Blazers in early 2014, scoring four points in a win over the Orlando Magic. The following season, he averaged 6.8 points in 62 games as the Blazers reached the first round of the playoffs. McCollum had his breakout season in 2015-16, when he became a starting shooting guard. With an average of 20.8 points per game in 80 games, he was named the NBA's Most Improved Player. The Blazers went on to reach the playoffs for a second straight year, this time falling to the Golden State Warriors in the second round. McCollum continued his success in the 2016-17 season, averaging 23 points per game in 80 games and 80 starts. Once again reaching the playoffs, the Blazers lost in the first round to the Warriors. In the 2017-18 season, McCollum again played in and started 80 games, averaging 21.4 points per game. During a January game against the Chicago Bulls, he scored a franchise-record 28 points in the first quarter alone, and finished the game with a career-high 50 points. Back in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, the Blazers were swept by the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the 2018-19 season, McCollum played in and started 70 games, averaging 21 points per game. That season, he recorded his first career triple-double in a win over the Atlanta Hawks in late January. The Blazers made it back to the playoffs, where McCollum's step-back jumper in the last 15 seconds of Game 7 in the second round helped the team advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 19 years. In the Finals, the Blazers were swept by the Warriors. The next season, McCollum averaged 22.2 points per game as the Blazers posted their first losing season since 2012-13. In the playoffs, the team fell in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers. McCollum played his final full season with the Blazers in 2020-21, averaging 23.1 points per game in 47 games. He was traded in February of the 2021-22 season after averaging 20.5 points per game in 36 games.
New Orleans Pelicans
McCollum made his debut with the Pelicans in February of 2022, recording 15 points and seven rebounds in a loss to the Miami Heat. He played 26 games with the team that season, averaging 24.3 points per game. The Pelicans went on to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years, despite the team's 36-46 record. Ultimately, they lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns. In the 2022-23 season, McCollum scored 11 three-pointers in a late-December game against the Philadelphia 76ers, giving him the franchise record for most three-pointers scored in a game. Despite that achievement, the season marked the first time in his career that McCollum didn't make it to the playoffs, as the Pelicans lost in the play-in tournament to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sports Broadcasting
With ESPN analyst Jordan Schultz, McCollum hosts a weekly podcast called "Pull Up with CJ McCollum." He also has a multi-platform deal as an NBA analyst for ESPN.
Philanthropy
In 2016, McCollum opened the CJ McCollum Dream Center, an innovative learning room at the Blazers Boys & Girls Club in Portland, Oregon. He also works to support youth through his CJ's Press Pass initiative, which grants aspiring journalists opportunities to develop their craft and have their work published.
Personal Life
In 2020, McCollum married his college sweetheart Elise Esposito. Together, they have a son named Jacobi.
