Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has been elected president of the NBPA, the National Basketball Players Association.
Yahoo’s NBA Insider Chris Haynes had the news on the weekend, around the time of the Olympic medal games, announcing McCollum as the new president.
Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has been elected the next president of the NBA Players Association, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 7, 2021
McCollum is an eight-year veteran of the league, who has played all eight seasons with the Blazers, after being drafted by them in 2013.
He has been a long-standing member of the NBPA, as a vice-president since 2018, and will now sit in the president position for the next four years. This appointment reflects McCollum’s standing, not just on the court, but the respect that he is carried in off the court.
He succeeds Chris Paul, who has been president for two terms of four years. The NBPA has also named the new vice-president: Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams.
McCollum will begin his presidency with a search to find the successor to NBPA executive director Michele Roberts. He will also be tasked with leading the union in collective bargaining talks with the NBA on a deal revolved around a potential new TV deal.
The following players have been named to positions as well; Andre Iguodala (First VP), Harrison Barnes (Secretary-Treasurer), Bismack Biyombo (VP), Malcolm Brogdon (VP), Jaylen Brown (VP), Kyrie Irving (VP) and Garrett Temple (VP).
Paul has been the driving force behind a lot of the Player’s Association’s initiatives to support retired players. This has included health insurance, heart screening and medical costs for retired players on different tiers dependent on service to the league.