Success does not come easy—and CJ knows that.
The work continues even off the court for CJ McCollum.
McCollum gave back to his alma mater at Lehigh University and delivered an inspiring speech during the university’s 155th undergraduate spring commencement.
In his speech, the New Orleans Pelicans guard shared an important reminder to individuals about their talents.
“No matter how talented you are, don’t count on cruising through life on autopilot,” said McCollum. “Successful people are intentional people.”
McCollum, who is the President of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), also gave out some life tips to the graduating students.
“Step number one: evaluate your goal,” said McCollum. “Two: tune out the noise and get rid of distractions.”
But it doesn’t stop there, according to McCollum.
“Three: be patient because success rarely happens overnight,” he added. “Four: be willing to take risk commensurate with the reward.”
“Five: even if you falter, don’t stop until you’ve climbed the mountain top.”
Most people are probably unaware, but McCollum's talents extend far beyond being an exceptional basketball player.
During his time at Lehigh, he pursued a journalism major and even served as an editor for the university newspaper.
While success hasn’t come easy for McCollum in the NBA, he is certainly not the type of person to give up.
Just imagine the type of speech you’ll hear from CJ once he wins an NBA championship.