Quotes from C. J. McCollum

It's mentally draining to be on 100% of the time on both ends of the floor, especially when you're the team's undisputed shot creator.

I'm just trying to diversify my portfolio and put myself in a position so when I do retire, the options are limitless.

Growing up in the inner city, a lot of kids didn't think reading was cool. I'm trying to show them that it is cool and the importance of growing and learning outside of their everyday lives, which is a lot of times sports.

I think, in moderation, taunting is a part of life.

Growing up I was a Cleveland Browns fan and my mood would change based on how they were playing. If they were losing I wasn't as happy, I wasn't as excited, I was a little sad.

We need to play like somebody took our lunch money, like somebody disrespected your mother. I think that's the type of anger you need have and the aggression you need to have on the court. That doesn't mean making mad faces or mean faces but it means attacking the glass, strongly attacking the rim when you have the ball on offense.

Writing and speaking and communicating, it's something important to me, and something I want to get better at.

For me personally, I like a smooth pinot noir with a lot of cherry fruit flavor. In the proper mood, I like a little earth and a little spice as well.

In order for us to have changes in society, we have to do a better job with listening to each other, listening to stories, listening to experiences and sharing things. That's the way you're able to come to a better understanding of people in general. We have to do a better job in society. It starts at the top.

As you get more experience out there, as you get more comfortable with the NBA system, the offense, the schemes, you begin to understand where you're going to get your looks from. And I think a big part of playing well is not having to look over your shoulder and just understanding that you're consistently be counted on.

Nothing really comes easy to you when you're under-recruited, you're undersized, you're undervalued. It's a situation where you have to be better than the bigger guys.

I think that's the biggest thing in this sport is when you prepare, you have extra confidence.

Competitive people, especially in sports, want to learn about everything. So when you're interested in something, you become a bit obsessive. You start to research it and ask questions about it, and before you know it, you have a serious hobby because of how you're programmed.

I'm a fan of Stance socks.

Draymond Green is one of the best in the league at grabbing a defensive rebound and starting the break.

One of the advantages of going to a small school is that you're expected to be the man. They have to give you the ball, and there's more room for error in a situation where you can play your way through mistakes (and no matter how good you are, this is a valuable coping skill at the NBA level).

There's just so many great artists out there, but I think growing up, J. Cole has been the guy that I've always been listening to, even in college. Going from that struggle to stardom, that rise to stardom, 'Dolla and a Dream,' all that stuff - I've listened to all his classics, all the old J. Cole stuff.

Other fans get antsy when their team's offense struggles to score for a few possessions. Blazers fans give us standing ovations, like they're trying to will their energy into us.

I ended up breaking a bone in my foot early in my rookie season, and honestly, it was kind of a blessing. I had so much free time while being laid up that I put a lot of time in on film to understand the game from a different vantage point.

Lowry is a pitbull. He's a gritty player who scores in a variety of ways, but he's also one of the few guards who also does the things that go unnoticed on the stat sheet.

I'm not just a dumb basketball player who got lucky and graduated from college. My ratio for professor to student was nine-to-one so it wasn't like I wasn't going to class. I was going to class every day.

One thing I love about guards in this league is that you can be a 5-foot-9 pit bull or a methodical 6-foot-7 jump-shooter, and still succeed in your own way.