NBA
CM
#3

CJ McCollum

Guard · Atlanta Hawks · 6'3", 190 lb · Born Sep 19, 1991 · Canton, Ohio · Drafted 10th overall, 2013
Atlanta HawksMost Improved (2016)Ex-NBPA presidentVeteran scorer
NBAAtlanta HawksGuards
Compare:vs Wigginsvs Danielsvs Johnsonvs Alexander-Walkervs Okongwuvs Risacher
In short

CJ McCollum is a veteran scoring guard for the Atlanta Hawks and one of the NBA's most respected professionals — a former NBPA president and ESPN analyst with a Lehigh journalism degree. Famous for Lehigh's 2012 upset of Duke, he was the 2016 Most Improved Player in Portland, later starred in New Orleans, and joined Atlanta in the 2026 Trae Young trade, providing 18.7 points a game and clutch playoff shot-making.

Matchup model · next gameMedium confidenceTue, Nov 10
vsBoston CelticsDrop coverage
Proj. points
18.7
range 15.8–21.5
Line 18.5
52%
to go over
Team win
64%
114–111
Poi 18.7 Lean overReb 3.1 Lean overAss 4.1 Lean overPRA 25.9 Lean under
Likely on himDerrick White· 82 Perimeter DStrong defender
15+ pts88%20+ pts34%

Model lines McCollum at 18.7 pts (range 15.8–21.5) vs a 18.5 line — a lean to clear it (52%).

Biggest edge: scheme fit — drop coverage concedes the pull-up/mid-range he likes.

Full matchup breakdown · all markets →
Balladex Matchup Model — modeled from real roster ratings, scoring baselines & defender-matchup history. Schedule, availability & head-to-head samples are illustrative in this prototype; production wires live schedule, injury & player-tracking feeds. Not betting advice.
✦ Ask anything about McCollum
The McCollum Story — narrated
Tap play to hear his story, told as a 90-second short.
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The small-school guard who slayed Duke, became Most Improved, and led a players' union — now a young team's steadying veteran.

A Canton, Ohio kid, McCollum earned a journalism degree at Lehigh and led the 15-seed Mountain Hawks past Duke in the 2012 NCAA Tournament before Portland took him 10th in 2013.

🦅 Lehigh · beat Duke10th, 2013

He won 2016 Most Improved and formed an elite backcourt with Damian Lillard, then scored big in New Orleans.

🏆 2016 MIPBlazers · Pelicans

Traded to Atlanta in the January 2026 Trae Young deal, he sparked a late playoff push — 18.7 a game, a game-winner, a 32-point playoff night.

Trae Young trade → ATL18.7 ppg · clutch

He re-upped on a one-year, $21M deal in June 2026 — and off the court, he led the NBPA and works as an ESPN analyst.

1 yr / $21MEx-NBPA president
— end of story —
Want the full numbers? Open the breakdown →
PPG
18.7
2025-26
RPG
3.1
per game
APG
4.1
per game
FG%
.456
.357 from three
LIFE

Roots & the rise

A cerebral veteran shot-maker — Lehigh's Duke-slayer, a former players'-union president, and Atlanta's late-game scorer.

Christian James McCollum grew up in Canton, Ohio and became a small-school legend at Lehigh, earning a journalism degree and famously leading the 15-seed Mountain Hawks to a 2012 NCAA Tournament upset of Duke. Portland drafted him 10th in 2013, and he won 2016 Most Improved Player before forming one of the league's best backcourts with Damian Lillard.

After a productive New Orleans stint and a brief stop in Washington, McCollum joined Atlanta in the January 2026 Trae Young trade and helped spark a late playoff push, averaging 18.7 points with clutch shot-making before the Hawks fell to the Knicks. He agreed to a one-year, $21 million extension in June 2026. Off the court he served as NBPA president from 2021 to 2025 and works as an ESPN analyst.

Sources: Wikipedia, NBA.com, Basketball-Reference, ESPN.

BEYOND THE GAME

Beyond the game

McCollum is one of the NBA's true renaissance professionals. A Lehigh journalism graduate, he hosts a podcast, holds an ESPN multiplatform analyst deal, and served as president of the National Basketball Players Association from 2021 to 2025 — a leadership role that shaped a generation of labor negotiations. He also runs the McCollum Heritage 91 wine label and has done extensive philanthropic work in wine-country and education spaces.

His basketball résumé is anchored by one of March Madness's iconic upsets — Lehigh over Duke in 2012 — and a decade of elite shot-making. Married to Elise, with a son, Jacobi, and a brother, Errick, who plays professionally overseas, McCollum is the archetype of the smart, steady veteran a young team adds for late-game scoring and locker-room stability.

PERSONALITY

The person

A cerebral, media-savvy veteran and elite shot-maker — the steady professional a young team leans on.

Three-level scorerCareer 19.5 points a game; 11 straight seasons with 150+ threes.
ClutchGame-winning fadeaway and a 32-point playoff game for Atlanta in 2026.
LeaderFormer NBPA president; ESPN analyst; journalism degree.
PLAYER DNA

Archetype & ratings

Archetype
Veteran Scoring Guard · Microwave
Temperament
Vet
Leadership
72/100
Scoring82
Playmaking60
Rebounding38
Perimeter D48
Rim protection15
Spacing76
Athleticism62
Clutch78
Three-level scorerVeteran leaderShot-making
ANALYSIS

What the numbers say

Veteran scoring on demand

McCollum remains a pure shot-maker: 18.7 points a game for Atlanta on efficient three-level scoring, plus an 11-year streak of 150-plus made threes that only he owns since 2015-16. For a young Hawks core, his ability to create a clean look late — a game-winning fadeaway against the Knicks in the 2026 playoffs — is exactly the closing skill emerging teams lack.

The stabilizer role

At this stage McCollum's value is as much cultural as statistical. A former union president and respected veteran voice, he provides the poise and shot-making that let young players like Johnson and Alexander-Walker develop without carrying every late-game possession. The one-year extension signals a Hawks team that values that stability on a short, flexible deal.

STATS

Season by season

Per game

SeasonGPMINPTSREBASTFG%3P%
2025-264128.818.73.14.1.456.357

Source: Basketball-Reference.

ADVANCED

Advanced & historical

Where he sits in history

2012Led 15-seed Lehigh to an NCAA Tournament upset of 2-seed Duke
2016NBA Most Improved Player with Portland
Off courtNBPA president (2021-2025); ESPN analyst; journalism degree

Hardware

1×
Most Improved Player (2016)
OUTLOOK

Where it's headed

AI-generated · updated July 12, 2026

A veteran shot-maker and locker-room compass on a flexible one-year deal — Atlanta's late-game insurance.

On a one-year, $21 million extension, McCollum gives the young Hawks efficient three-level scoring, clutch shot-making, and veteran leadership. His role is to stabilize crunch time while the core matures.

Shot-makingElite
Clutch scoringProven
LeadershipElite
DefenseBelow average

Contract

Deal
1 yr / $21M signed 2026
Role
Vet scorer closer
Age
34 veteran
Bottom line

A Duke-slaying small-school legend turned respected veteran. On a short deal, he gives Atlanta's young core exactly what it lacks: clutch shot-making and steadiness.

FAQ

Quick answers

How did CJ McCollum join the Hawks?

In the January 2026 trade that sent Trae Young away; he then agreed to a one-year, $21 million extension in June 2026.

What is CJ McCollum famous for in college?

Leading 15-seed Lehigh to a 2012 NCAA Tournament upset of 2-seed Duke; he also earned a journalism degree there.

Was CJ McCollum a players'-union leader?

Yes — he served as president of the National Basketball Players Association from 2021 to 2025.