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C.J. McCollum Says He Easily Could Have Not Made It To The NBA

Becoming an NBA player involves a lot of talent and hard work, but also luck.

Many players have the talent to be an NBA player, but don’t make it to the league because they are a late-bloomer and won’t play on D1 college teams. Some, like Patrick Beverley for example eventually end up in the NBA, after proving themselves in Europe. Some never make it. Take Portland Trailblazers All-Star C.J McCollum’s brother Errick as an example.

Errick McCollum is 29, and a very succesful basketball player. Last year, he won the Euro Cup title and MVP award, he led the Greek league, the Euro Cup and the Chinese Leauge (twice) in scoring, and is Goshen College’s all-time leading scorer.

But he never made it to the NBA (he player in the Summer League for Denver in 2014, but didn’t end up making the roster). In an interview with Sports Illustrated, C.J McCollum now said, that this also could have been his career, as there is an incredibly fine line between making it in the NBA, or becoming a star overseas:

“That could easily have been me. Similar stories, except he went to a Division II school and I went to a Division I school. I was a later bloomer. They said I didn’t have a position. Can I create a shot against elite defenders? Same stuff. He struggled at first and then found his way in Europe. Now he’s one of the best players in Europe and, miraculously, he’s making a lot more money than some NBA guys.”