CJ McCollum discusses his podcast, the Trail Blazers culture, mental health, and wine on Sports Business Radio.
The Trail Blazers star and budding podcaster joins Brian Berger on Sports Business Radio.
BB: We’re at the Portland Trail Blazer practice facility with CJ McCollum. CJ, thanks for sitting down. I appreciate it.
CJM: No problem at all. Thanks for having me on, I appreciate it.
BB: You’re used to the podcast game. You got the Pull-Up Pod, you obviously were the editor of the Brown and White school newspaper at Lehigh (University). You’ve got an interest in journalism. Walk me through your process when you’re doing a podcast, like we’re doing right now. How do you get ready for your podcast?
CJM: Um, honestly, I do a little bit of background research. You know, stalk the guest a little bit; learn about them. Learn about their whole life story, where they went to school at, accomplishments, things they like to do in their spare time; to just kind of feel them out and figure out how I want to flow throughout the podcast. Then, I pick topics in my head that I want to talk about; and that’s all I do, basically.
A couple things, and based on how the conversation goes, I just take it from there. But my co-host, Jordan Schultz, and my producer, they do a good job of kind of putting things together and allow it to flow. But, the best preparation is just when you have a conversation.
BB: You have had the opportunity to interview Adam Silver a few times for The Players Tribune. What’s that like because, that’s like next level. It’s like us getting you on today. We gotta go through layers of people to get Adam. You probably, maybe you have his number and you can just text him, but it’s probably a process to get him to sit down with you.
CJM: Yeah, I do have his number, but I don’t handle that directly all the time. I usually inquire in person like, “Hey, is it okay if we do the podcast?” “Yeah, sure!” Then, we coordinate with his team. But he’s very nice about giving me his time, and I don’t get nervous anymore. But, I used to get nervous just because I didn’t know if I was going to ask similar questions that have been asked in the past. You don’t want to repeat questions, and you also want to feel like you know them, but not feel too invasive.
But I did ask him why I wasn’t invited to his wedding, just stuff like that. Like, just stuff to joke about. If he’s ever been to The Jay-Z concert; you know. Like off-the-wall stuff that is, you know, funny but can lead to a great conversation. But, Adam has always been great with his time with me and we’ve been able to get a lot of interviews in, to the point where I have to go back and read them to kind of make sure I don’t ask the same question three times, or four times.
BB: Fast-forward to when you’re done playing, you’re getting a lot of reps doing this now; do you look at this as like, the entree into a career in broadcasting or journalism when you’re done playing basketball?
CJM: Yeah, I definitely want to explore the journalism and broadcasting realm. I have a degree in journalism, and being able to write for the Player’s Tribune, I have my own podcast. Doing some TV work with TNT — Turner, ESPN, among others has given me experience and allowed me to see different phases of journalism. But, I’m not sure exactly which avenue I’ll go down. But I know it’ll be somewhere in that realm.
BB: Alright, I’m putting you on the spot who’s on your list of people you want to have on your pod that you haven’t had on yet?
CJM: On my list? Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Kevin Hart, authors — Ryan Holiday has expressed interest in coming on; I’d love to get him on. Malcolm Gladwell, some actors and actresses. There’s a lot of people who are influential maybe in my life that they don’t know it so, a lot of those people would be great.
BB: We were just talking before you came in. Will Ferrell is going to start a podcast, and I guess he’s going to do it as Ron Burgundy. You got to get him on as Ron Burgundy.
CJM: That would be awesome! That would be awesome to get some of those entertainers on; especially people with great personalities.
BB: How are you about? I mean you’ve got access to some people but, I know you don’t want to like step on toes or anything. How are you about like, going to other guys or people in the entertainment world and saying, “Hey, I want to have you on my pod”? Or are you more reserved in that way and you’re like, “I don’t want to bother that person”?
CJM: It just depends on the relationship I have. It’s hard to reach out to strangers, or people that you really don’t know because, then you just felt like another person asking for something. We get asked to do a lot of things in this world. So, for me, I try to make sure I have a relationship or have met them before I ask.
Otherwise, I just have the producers ask on my behalf. But, I mean, I’ve directly asked Kevin Love, KD. I mean, I’ll have at some point, I’ll talk to Kyrie when we play them. Like, when you play teams and you know guys, it’s different than just a random coming up to you and asking them. So, I think now that the podcast has a little bit of traction people understand that, hey, like this is cool to tell like different sides of certain stories, and your fans will appreciate it.
BB: Right!
CJM: So, I think now players are more, like reaching out like “Hey, can I come on?”
BB: Yep. Yeah, I definitely feel like I’ve gotten to know you better through your pod. Your personality, your love of wine, which we’ll talk about in a little bit, but just…it’s cool! That’s what the fans want. They want to know that it’s more than just like a guy on the basketball court running up and down the court. Like, they want to know a little bit about the person.
CJM: Exactly! Those little anecdotes, those little stories that you can tell. And just give the fans a different perspective because, they have this picture of what your like in their head. Right? Just based on your movement your interviews, but then you get behind the scene you’re able to talk about your interests, things you do in your spare time, your likes and dislikes, what it’s like to be from wherever you’re from. I think that gives listeners and people who are of interest, a better background story on you.
BB: CJ’s, Press Pass. I know that’s been a passion of yours for several years now. Tell us a little bit about that and what you’re trying to accomplish with that.
CJM: Yeah, CJ’s Press Pass; we launched it a few years ago. We actually have the launch for this year’s on Monday at Moda Center, and we’ve actually partnered with Moda now so, they’re going to be a part of it. But, it’s basically a young journalism internship program where I reach out and hand pick certain journalists, young journalists around the state of Oregon. We put them together and we give them an assignment, and basically give (we) them insight on what it’s like to be a journalist in all facets. Whether that’s covering a game, going to certain events, allowing them to meet — you know — people from what is it Comcast Sports Network; everyone that covers our game. We’ll bring them to a nationally televised game and let them meet with ESPN or Turner, and basically see like how a game is produced. You know, from sideline interviews to the truck, to the media truck.
And, I’ve partnered with this organization called, I think it’s Prep To Prep and they’re able to actually make money. It’s an Oakland-based journalism program where they’re able to make money covering high school sports. So, photography, covering games, maybe local Minor League sports, as well as professional, and they’re able to have their papers edited by professionals and actually receive credits — not only in school, but financially. Which it’s nice to get paid to do this because, it’s a grind to try to make money in this world.
BB: Yeah, definitely! I heard you talk a little bit on your podcast, I think it was when Michael Lombardi was on; he came on mine too. Like, the week after. He’s great!
CJM: Yeah, he’s cool. Cool as a fan.
BB: Finding the right time to do these off the court things, and I think you said something to the effect of like, you needed to establish yourself a little bit better as a player on the court before you felt more comfortable doing some of the off the court stuff. Is that how it happened?
CJM: Yeah, because you get this perception that you care more about the off the core stuff, and it’s sad because, the reality of it is you need to be diversified. You need to have more interests than just your sport, otherwise you’ll go crazy. So, sometimes when you get too invested or too interested in other things outside of your sport, you’re criticized. Especially if you’re not performing to the level you’re expected of. And sometimes you’re never performing to the level of certain fans eyes. So for me, it was just more about, I was hurt early on in my career, I didn’t play a lot and I had this dream goal and aspiration of becoming, you know, like a media mogul.
You need to have more interests than just your sport, otherwise you’ll go crazy.
But, I couldn’t be known more for media than basketball early on in my career, and I felt like I was drifting towards that. So, I had to take a step back, wait for my career to kind of blossom, get healthy, you know — win Most Improved Player of the Year, while still doing radio; I just didn’t do podcasts. I still was doing national radio with Sirius XM, and I had partnered with iHeartRadio. I was doing a lot of radio stuff, but I didn’t start the podcast until two years ago.
BB: So you felt like the timing was right?
CJM: Yeah, but like the timing was right. I had established myself, I had gotten an extension with the Portland Trail Blazers and that’s when I started doing more journalism based stuff. I was still doing the Adam Silver interviews and still covering the (NBA) Draft, but the perception had shifted. I had established myself as a starter in the league, a guy who can perform; one of the better two guards in the NBA, one of the better players now in the NBA. So, it’s considered okay, as long as I’m performing well in the eyes of the fans. They respect it.
BB: One of the questions I always ask athletes when I have them on the show is, endorsement deals. What are you looking for in your partner’s when people come to you and they say, “CJ, I wanna work with you on endorsement deals,”?
CJM: It’s authenticity. I’m at this stage now where I have enough funds, financially. My family is taken care of, and now my time is more important than anything; any dollar amount. So, just strategically figuring out how to align myself with brands that are on the same page as me. Do they want to help out with a lot of my charitable contributions, things I’m doing with the Boys and Girls Clubs. That’s more so a factor in my decision making process now.
In terms of me doing appearances and things like that, I’ll do them if it’s aligned with what I’m trying to accomplished with my brand. From a time commitment standpoint, if it isn’t too big of a time commitment and if those partners are willing to jump on. Like, Jamba Juice is a great partner of mine and they do a lot of work with me in the community. They come help out at my kids camps. They help sponsor my Boys and Girls Clubs.
BB: You’ve got your own drink at Jamba Juice. I saw that.
CJM: CJ’s World. Yeah, it’s a really good drink. You should definitely check it out. This isn’t like a paid promo. This is me. Just a guy who likes Jamba Juice. It’s awesome to have unique authentic partners like that. You know, Moda Health. We’re striving for pushing breast cancer awareness in “Real Men Wear Pink” campaign this month, and they get behind everything I do with the Boys and Girls Club and the community stuff. So, that’s what’s really important to me is my time and how they can help me, and how we can help each other mutually stay aligned and head the right direction.
BB: Earlier in the summer I had Dame on, and we talked about his involvement with Adidas and how into his shoe design he gets, and colorways and all that stuff. I know you work with Li-Ning. How much are you working with them on what your shoe looks like and what kind of design it has, and things of that nature?
CJM: It’s a constant process of communication back and forth. Pictures, details, videos, you know — researching the width of the shoe, getting foot scans, figuring out pressure points, where I want extra comfort at in the shoe. Do I want to play in lows, or want to play in highs? I’ll start this season in lows and switch to a mid to high around February, and this is all like, strategic planning. Colorways, how many colorways do you want? Red, black, and white; do you want to add gray/silver? I like polka dots; stuff like that, so I’ll get paint specs on my shoes. So you’ll see little hints of things that I enjoy. Dark Knight’s like one of my favorite movies so, I’ll always have a dark night colorway.
I like sharks. I say I’m a shark so, I have a shark colorway. I’ll have a Pinot colorway. I’ll have a colorway dedicated to my brother, dedicated to my high school, dedicated to my fiancé, my mom. So, just things that mean something to me, I try to put something like that in the involvement of my shoe. I’m playing in the pink shoe for breast cancer awareness. So, just little stuff that — that means something to me, or is of significance. This is how I kind of live my life and how I strategically partner with my brands.
BB: Fashion, I know is a big deal to you. I saw this week, The Players Tribune video that came out with you and Scottie Pippen. First of all, where in the heck was that house? That house was the bomb!
CJM: House was off the chain man! It was in like the Hollywood Hills somewhere in LA. It was unbelievable. I mean, I’m afraid of stationery heights. I like roller coasters, but it was — it was a very unique view of the entire city. We got some great flicks, got to chop it up with a legend, and I got some some nice gear out of it so, it was a win-win.
BB: Wasn’t that Dolce Gabbana?
CJM: Yeah! I still got the Dolce suit at the house. I’m gonna break it out. Break it out one of these games.
BB: So, how does that work? You’re like, “Hey, I’m doing a shoot for Players Tribune,” you go to Dolce Gabbana, or your reps go to them and say…
CJM: They reached out. I’ve invested in the Player’s Tribune so, we’re aligned with trying to continue to figure out ways to build the brand, and for me to continue to diversify my portfolio off the court. So, the interview with Scotty was a no-brainer. Portland legend, NBA legend, Bulls legend, Hall of Famer; where we get to talk, kind of bring — you know, two different generations of players together. Talk about fashion, talk about the NBA — how the game has changed and, you know, partner with Neiman Marcus, partner with these other brands that are a part of a lot of people’s day-to-day life.
Especially, you know, the walk-in. You know everybody’s into looking nice and using social media to kind of leverage their brand. So, it was just a unique situation where I had some off time; I could spend some time in LA. I had some other stuff I had to do in LA anyway, so it worked out.
BB: So, what would you describe your fashion sense as? Like, you know, some people are more casual…
CJM: Swaggy casual. A little mixed bag, you know? A lot of sweats, but I also can put on a suit, and a lot of tailored suits. Jean jackets, I love bombers.
BB: You kind of go no socks from time to time don’t you?
CJM: I will go no socks from time to time, or ankle socks. Kevin Hart made fun of me once in Miami because I had no socks on in my uh, I had some low Gucci’s on. And it was in Miami, it was hot, and he checked my shoe. He looked and was like, “You ain’t got no socks on? You’re filthy! You got way too much money to be out here with no socks on.” I was like, you don’t have no socks on either. He was like, (imitates Hart’s voice) “You’re wrong! I have no-shows on.” So, after that I went and bought 50 pairs of no-show socks, and I seen him like a year later, and I showed him my no-show socks, and we laughed about it.
BB: The other thing that came out this week was Dame’s new “Money Ball” video. I saw you had a cameo. How did that come about? Does he just say, “Hey CJ, I got a video coming out. Wanna be a part of it?”
CJM: I was in LA. I had some stuff I needed to do in LA. So, I hit him and I was like, I’m gonna be in LA for a week. If you’re trying to work out or anything, let me know. I got shoots and meetings during the day, so I work out in the mornings, and he was like, “Bet! I’mma be in LA too, so I’ll hit you.” And, like late towards the latter part of the week, he was like, “Yo! I’m shooting a video at this time…this location. Pull up!” So, I worked out in the morning and then I went to the set, and they were shooting video, and we was there for a few hours. It was in the bag, just dancing and having a good time, and then he put it out.
BB: I saw that you said on social media that you, you’re not used to shooting the money out there.
CJM: Yeah, just throwing money like that. I need a tutorial on how to get it out they hands, and it was funny. It was a good experiment for me and I enjoyed it, and I think the music video turned out cool.
BB: Yeah! His new album. I liked his first two…this one is really good!
CJM: You get the deluxe? He’s got like Jeezy on there, Jadakiss, Little Durk. He got some real heavy hitters.
BB: Well, he talked about when he was on the summer the whole process like he rented a pop-up and Phoenix and did a lot of his writing there, and it was really…I didn’t know there were pop-up studios that you could…
CJM: Yeah. People are in the business of making money. You can get a studio anywhere, for however long you want.
BB: You can get a studio for podcast anywhere too, probably?
CJM: Yeah. I got some partners if you need, if you need help.
BB: We might have to talk! Let’s talk a little bit about the Trailblazers. One of the things I love about this team, and I used to work for the Trailblazers, I don’t know if you know that? Way back in the day. But, I love the culture that you and Dame have built here. And like, when new guys like Hassan Whiteside or Kent Bazemore walk into this locker room or this organization, you guys have really built a great culture here and, it seems from afar, you’re also the two hardest working guys on the team. So, when guys come in and they see, all right — the two best guys on the team are also the two hardest working guys on the team, it’s really hard for them to not fall into place.
CJM: Yeah. I think it starts with us. How we approach the game, how we approach practices, you know, are we friendly, is their accountability on our end, do we challenge each other, do we allow people to challenge us? I think all those things factor into how people respond when they get here. When they see that, you know, we’re the highest-paid guys on the team, but we worked the hardest, you know, we’re in here early. We’re in here late; I come in at midnight. Sometimes, I’m here at 8:00 a.m. sometimes for 11 o’clock practice. Sometimes I might want to get a lift in before we get a lift in as a team. And they see our approach; how methodical we are at everything else here as we take the game.
So, it’s easy to fall in line when it starts at the top, you know — from management, to Jody, the late Mr. Allen; picking certain types of players, you know, regardless of where they’ve been before they get here. There’s a certain type of DNA and culture that we have, and we look for players who are able to kind of assimilate and fit into our culture. So it’s a credit to the guys that were here before me, and it’s a credit to the organization and, I kind of just fell in line my rookie year, you know.
There’s a certain type of DNA and culture that we have, and we look for players who are able to kind of assimilate and fit into our culture.
Seeing what Dame, seeing what LA, Nico, Wes, Ro, how they acted, how they behaved and then, that’s just kind of how I transitioned into my role. And based on coming from a small school like Lehigh to leadership, intangibles I learned there, and how to get people to follow. In order to get people to follow, you have to be willing to listen and take constructive criticism from the 15th guy on the bench, you know what I mean? I think that’s where we’re at, at this point. We’re not too cool, we don’t have too many minutes and too much success to listen to anybody.
I take advice from the video coordinator, who’s one of my best friends. Yeah, and we came in together, so. I wasn’t really playing a lot. I was in there working out every night, breaking down film and trying to learn my place, and that’s kind of how I approach, you know, life. As a guy seven years into the league, do what got you here, and continue to do it once you get to where you want to go.
BB: You signed an extension in the offseason. So, I think you’re here til’ 22, 23, 24; that’s making a heck of a commitment to the organization. Obviously, they’ve made a pretty good commitment to you as well. How does…I ask this to athletes too; you grew up in Ohio. It seems like you grew up with a good family but, you’ve had life-changing money come into your life.
CJM: Yeah, we ain’t have this type of money!
BB: Right! So, how do…I mean, I think about it like all the time; if I came into that kind of money, I don’t know how I would handle it. How do you handle it? And like Dame said, his dad and his family helped keep him grounded. Who do you have around you that helps you manage the money, and help keep you grounded?
CJM: Yeah! I have a great support system. My mom and dad did a tremendous job of raising me. My brother is very strict about how we go about doing things, and it’s always been like that since we were children. I’ve always followed his lead. He was a business management major with honors, honor student who plays overseas still, and we’re very frugal, we’re selective on what we buy, what we spend our money on. My financial advisor does a tremendous job of managing my money, to the point where I mean, I think year-to-date I’m making about 10% on my investments. So, doing a pretty good job, and I’ve diversified into real estate, and I’m looking into franchising. My fiancé’s almost done with dental school and they do a good job of keeping me humble.
I still take out the trash. I still try to make the bed when she’s, when she’s here, and then just do the small things because, you have a greater appreciation for wealth when you had to struggle to obtain it. Not that people that are born into it don’t appreciate it. But, your mindset is different because you’ve seen the other side.
BB: Right.
CJM: I’ve seen my mom work two jobs. I’ve seen my dad working in a steel mill for 30 years, where it’s 120 degrees in the crane, and he’s fully, fully suited up. I’ve seen my brother work as a trash man in the summertime after you know 6 a.m. workouts, 7 a.m. workouts, just to continue to help with the family stuff. So, I have a real, great appreciation of what I’ve been able to obtain and how to make it grow, and understanding that the next generation of McCollum’s will be just fine and will grow up different than me, and I think that’s the goal. The goal is for your kids to grow up and live a better life than you did, and I think, based on what I’ve been able to accomplish, it’s great! But, I also think you get numb to it. It’s great to have money, but you get caught up into the present of working hard and chasing other goals; whether that’s success, peace. That’s something I’ve been chasing for a long time and I found it. Being at peace with who I am and what I’ve been able to accomplish, and where I want to go as opposed to comparing yourself to other people.
I think that hurts a lot of athletes, and many people in the world because, there’s a facade surrounded by social media to where everybody shows their best life. Which is cool, but you have to sometimes just look in the mirror and look at where you’ve gone, where you’ve grown and come from, and how you can continue to progress and move forward to.
BB: A good transition into my next question. The NBA has really put more of an emphasis on mental health. And, I know people like Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan and people like yourself are out there; used to be kind of a taboo topic that no one spoke about, and now people are more comfortable talking about it and it’s because of people like the people I just mentioned. How big of a part of that; I mean, I know sleep and mental health and diet and these are all…because the season’s a grind!
CJM: Yeah, the season is a grind, no matter how much money you have or where you’re at in your career. You still have stress, you still have anxiety, you still get nervous, you still have fears and, a lot of times the higher you get the more you suppress it. You’re afraid to come out and talk about it. And there used to be a negative stigma attached to anxiety and things of that nature. I think now, people have warmed up to it, understanding that it’s common.
A lot of people are stressed out. A lot of people are going through things, having panic attacks. And now that professional athletes are coming out saying they’re going through it, I think a lot of people who work at 9 to 5’s are feeling more comfortable dealing with it. And jobs are becoming more accustomed to providing help as opposed to criticizing people; and based on what I’ve seen around the NBA, what I’ve seen from guys talking to Kevin Love, talking to Charlamagne Tha God is that it’s okay to seek help. It’s okay to talk to other people about your problems. There’s a lot of things that you can’t handle on your own in this world and you need help. Not just from family, but from professionals because, otherwise you would drive yourself crazy. So, I think people just need to understand it’s important that you speak out, you go get the help that you need, and don’t be afraid or feel like less of a person because, we all go through ups and downs.
BB: What do you do to de-stress? I mean, I know guys do yoga. Things like that.
CJM: I just try to be mindful of my time. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned over the course of my career. I used to want to work out all the time, going to be at everything, you know, and you have to just pick and choose your spots. So, I give myself time every day to kind of wind down. Whether that’s using apps to meditate, you know, just deep breaths throughout the day. I try to meditate three times a day, especially in season. I listen to a lot of classical music. I try to read 30 minutes a day. I try to get some hot yoga, especially on off days throughout the season to kind of suppress. I steam room every day. So, I just give myself time to really pamper myself. Mani-pedis, massages, whatever it is, to kind of de-calibrate, and get away from this because, it’s a lot!
My life is great and I enjoy it but, it’s a lot, you know? Focus, physical, mental stress that you go through to try to prepare for eight months of grinding; you need to escape at times. I found a lot of things useful for me, is not useful for everybody else. But, you just have to figure out what’s important to you and how to find your happy medium of freedom.
BB: Two more really quick questions. One, and I know you’re a huge Cleveland Browns fan…
CJM: Yessir!
BB: I see you’re going to games, you got the jerseys on, you’re going to watch parties, I hear you talking about them on your pod…culture, right? I mean we’ve talked about that. I heard you talk about it with Michael Lombardi. How do they get it?
CJM: It takes time, and you don’t just wake up one day and win the Super Bowl. You have to go through those, those losses. You have to go through those struggles of whether it’s questionable play calling, questionable decision-making. The locker room has to almost crumble, it has to bend but not break, and that’s when you build culture through struggle. Everybody thinks it comes from success, but no! It’s…how do you respond when when your quarterback throws an interception on the goal line? Do you point the finger, do you blame the refs, or do you just look within and figure out how to rally together? And, I think it just takes time.
The season is long as going to be a grind going to be struggles; 2 and 4, could be 2 and 5 after we play the Patriots. But it’s about how you respond to that, and I think based on some of the guys we got now, and who were able to kind of bring in on staff, they’re heading in the right direction. But it takes time. It doesn’t happen in a year, it happens in a few years. It happens after a few struggles. So I’ll be interested to see how they respond. I hope we beat the Patriots, but in the event that we lose, it’ll be a good challenge to see what happens to this team once the media kind of changes the narrative on Super Bowl favorites, MVP favorite Baker Mayfield. You got two Pro Bowl wide receivers. You got a pro bowl running back. You got arguably the best defensive end in the NFL; leading the NFL with nine sacks in six games. How do you respond when the attention becomes negative? And I think that’s when you see what the character and culture is really about.
BB: It’s been fun watching you be a fan of the Browns and you know, weighing in just like anyone else would about the Browns but, you’re CJ McCollum. But it’s been…
CJM: I’m a fan just like the rest of the world. I think they take my words too seriously, man. My opinion isn’t a fact. If I say it’s bad play calling…maybe it wasn’t bad play calling? It’s just my opinion. But, sometimes it is bad play calling. (laughs)
BB: (laughs) Freddy Kitchens.
CJM: Freddy. He’s got to hang in there, man. You gotta get through this tough spot because, I believe in him, and I believe they picked him for a reason. It’s just about everybody locking in and making the right decisions. Don’t force the touchdown. If it ain’t there, throw it away. You don’t have to run trick plays all the time. Just run the ball. You got a really, really good running back; second in the NFL in rushing yards. Don’t be afraid to set up for three. I feel like everybody’s pressing. The whole organization. Everybody wants to be great right away. Just be solid.
BB: Yeah! All right, last question. Oregon is becoming more well known for its wine, and I hear you talk about wine. You’ve talked about the Vivino app, which I didn’t even know about until I heard about it from you; where you can like, take a picture of the label, I guess? And it’ll tell you exactly what you’re drinking, and you can learn more about what you’re drinking. But, I saw a video of you and Kevin Love during the offseason drinking some wine. It just seems like wine is becoming more of a thing in the NBA, and here we are in Oregon where they’ve got some really good wine.
CJM: Yeah, Oregon is amazing. And that’s one of the things I’ve learned being here with the rain, with the climate change. It’s…obviously you’ve got the, we have the Willamette Valley. We have the Chalet Mountains. We have different types of altitudes where it changes grapes, and having gone to so many vineyards, you get some really unique blends of Pinots.
We got some really good chardonnays. A little bit of bubbly stuff now, depending on what vineyard you go to. But, I really enjoyed, you know going to different wineries. You got Domaine Serene (winery), you got solder, you got…Walter Scott is the first Pinot I ever had here in Oregon, seven years ago. So, I’ve been able to try such a variety and then become a member at so many places that my seller is overwhelming, you know? It’s to the point where I gotta start giving away some stuff because, I can’t…
BB: (laughs) You can’t drink it all.
CJM: I can’t drink it all. After going to Italy this summer I even expanded it even more so, I’m in a world of trouble in this wine industry.
BB: I think you and Kevin Love had the tie for the best summer travels that I saw.
CJM: We lived our best lifes this year, man!
BB: Man!
CJM: I was inspired by him, actually. I asked him where I should go in the summertime because, he was just crushing it. His dog had a better vacation than a lot of humans out there. His dog was living…she was living her best life.
BB: No kidding! Got the dogs birthday is today so…
CJM: The dog’s birthday is today? I gotta text him “Happy Birthday.”
BB: CJ, thanks so much for doing this. I really appreciate it! Continued success to you, and I look forward to watching you this season.
CJM: I appreciate you. Thank you. Have a good one.
Listen to the whole episode of Sports Business Radio Podcast:
Sports Business Radio focuses on the issues and people directly impacting the world of sports business. Guests on the show offer an insider’s perspective include pro sports league executives, agents, college athletics administrators, sports apparel company reps, ad agency executives, media executives and athletes.
