C.J. McCollum: 'The Most Successful People Aren’t Afraid to Fail'

Growing up, C.J. McCollum ’13 had a dream: to become a professional athlete.

When teachers asked McCollum his ideal career path, his answer remained the same.

“I’ll never forget [my middle school teacher] telling me the chances of making it as a professional athlete were very slim. She gave me the percentages. She gave me the breakdown,” said McCollum, now a Portland Trail Blazers standout. “And I used to say to her…one day you’re going to be begging me to come back and speak to the kids. Now we fast forward, and I talk to [the kids].”

McCollum, who never lost sight of his dreams, returned to Bethlehem and his alma mater last Thursday (July 27) to share his insights with teens participating in the LEADership, Education and Development (LEAD) program hosted by Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics for the second consecutive summer. McCollum, who told the students that anything is possible, was the keynote speaker at the program’s closing dinner at the ArtsQuest center at SteelStacks.

This year, 28 rising high school seniors from across the country participated in Lehigh’s three-week LEAD program, which strives to prepare students from diverse backgrounds for college, expose them to career options and develop them into responsible leaders. The program also introduces them to the Lehigh campus.

Just 4-foot-8 in eighth grade, McCollum said he still dreamed of making it to the NBA, even though he was physically too short to achieve his goal. By the start of high school, McCollum had grown to 5-foot-2 and weighed 107 pounds. Scrawny and short, McCollum said he focused on his athletic performance, but was often only scoring 6 points per game.

His older brother, Errick, was a starting point guard on the school’s basketball team.

“I was Errick’s little brother, no one really knew my name…As I got older I used to tell him, you’re going to be C.J.’s older brother, and he used to laugh and say, ‘if I’m C.J.’s brother then I did my job.’ That’s the kind of brother he was,” McCollum said. “He did his job to help raise me to put me in a position to be successful.”

McCollum said he considered giving up basketball to focus solely on receiving an academic scholarship.  Turning to God, he said he prayed that he would grow three to four more inches.

By the start of his junior year in high school, he had grown to 5-foot-11. He was excelling academically, but he was not receiving any basketball scholarships.

McCollum’s pivotal moment in his high school career came when he scored 54 points in one game. Three days later, he received his first letter of interest from Lehigh. Though he received more letters from prospective colleges, Lehigh remained his top choice.

“Lehigh was my number one school because it was the first school that showed interest in me and because of the academic reputation,” he said.

In 2009, McCollum signed to attend Lehigh as a Division 1 athlete. He finished his Lehigh career as the Patriot League’s all-time leading scorer, and in 2012, he helped the No. 15-seeded Lehigh’s men’s basketball team beat No. 2 Duke in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Off the court, McCollum started at Lehigh in the College of Business and Economics, but he said he very quickly realized that business wasn’t his forte and that he enjoyed journalism. He said his mother would only allow him to switch to the College of Arts and Sciences if he wrote her something. He did, and she approved the switch to the department of journalism and communications.

“It was hard for me to balance course load, social life and basketball,” he said, “and I tried to find an excuse. My excuse was journalism because I enjoyed talking, and I enjoyed writing…I always tell this story because you never know what your niche is. Figure out what you enjoy. At the end of the day, if you enjoy doing it, you will become great at it, and that is why I chose journalism.”

He said he felt that if he was not successful in becoming a professional athlete, he could still be involved in the game as a sports journalist.

“The harder I’ve worked, the luckier I’ve got, both on the court and off the court,” said McCollum, now 6-foot-4.

After his junior year at Lehigh, McCollum had to make a decision as to whether he should return to the university to complete his degree or sign as a top 20 pick for the NBA. With great deliberation, he chose to return to Lehigh to complete his bachelor’s in journalism.

Eventually his dream became a reality: On June 27, 2013, McCollum was selected to play with the Portland Trail Blazers as the 10th pick in the NBA draft. Last season he averaged 23 points per game for the team.

While McCollum aspires to be great on the court, he also believes greatness occurs by giving back to the community. In November 2016, McCollum opened the C.J. McCollum Dream Center, which is a partnership between the Blazers Boys & Girls Club providing technology, books, art and learning tools for students to discover their aspirations.

Journalism is still an important part of McCollum’s career. He started a program called C.J.’s Press Pass, which mentors high school students to determine if journalism is a potential career for them to pursue. He also finds time to do work for ESPN, Player’s Tribune and Sports Illustrated for Kids.

“The most successful people aren’t afraid to fail,” he told the LEAD students. “That is the great difference between the great athletes, the great businessmen, the great entrepreneurs. You have to be-self-conscious and understand who you are and what you are…but you have to be willing to take risks….Don’t be afraid to go left when everyone is going right.”

Story Lauryn Ragone 
Photos by John Kish IV