WEBVTT - CJ McCollum on NCAA Basketball & Wine 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:07.840 From the King of Sports Books. Who comes the Key 0:00:08.119 --> 0:00:18.800 Sports podcast Unleashed presented by MGM. You're your host, Speedy 0:00:18.880 --> 0:00:28.280 Mormon and Olivia Harland Decker. Welcome back to the show. 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:32.080 I'm Speedy Mormon, joined as always by Olivia Harland Decker 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:35.479 and this is Unleashed from the King of Sports Books 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:39.319 Bet MGM, and we've got a great episode lined up 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:42.880 for you guys. This week, We've got Portland's Trailblazer, star 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:48.000 podcaster and vintner c J McCollum on the show to 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:52.240 talk wine being on a Cinderella team and his life 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:55.800 in the NBA. Olivia, I'm so excited for that conversation. 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:58.000 You took the lead on it and I can't wait 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:00.360 for the people to hear it. We're all also going 0:01:00.400 --> 0:01:04.240 to be talking about how dad's, even famous dads can 0:01:04.280 --> 0:01:07.360 embarrass us even when they think that they're helping out. 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.680 And then, finally, on this week's Lions Lock, Peter Andrew 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:13.800 is back from bet MGM. We're going to talk about 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:17.240 what Vegas got wrong and what they got right and 0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:21.199 his locks for the Sweet six team. But first let's 0:01:21.280 --> 0:01:24.600 jump into some NBA trade talk. Olivia, we spoke about 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:26.919 a bunch of the trades that we thought may happen 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:29.640 last week, But here we are now a week later. 0:01:29.720 --> 0:01:32.280 I'm wondering, how are our predictions and what do you 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:35.440 make of all of the big moves that happened in 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:39.040 the league? YEA speedy with this stuff. Sometimes it's more 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:42.440 of what didn't happen that is important. In NBA's top 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:47.400 contenders really stayed mostly quiet. Nothing to blockbuster, but the Clippers, 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:49.440 they're currently third in the West. They get ra Gen 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:53.920 Rondo for Lemon Pepper Lou Williams. He goes home to Atlanta, 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:58.400 a magic city, celebrating it. So I don't know. I'm 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:02.200 concerned about him going there. Oh for him, Hey, he's 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:04.920 got lou Willville. He's good. He's got a lot of 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:07.240 friends in Atlanta, my man, So he is um. He 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:10.400 is celebrating, as is the city. But it's great for 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:13.040 the Clippers. They now have a true point guard, Rondo 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:15.640 one with the Lakers last year. He's comfortable and staple, 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:19.000 so I like that move. The Orlando Magic was busy 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:22.519 as expected. They did trade off Evan Fournier Aaron Gordon, 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:25.320 but the real surprise with the Orlando was they got 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:28.920 rid of All Star center Nakola Vusovich. He's going to Chicago. 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:32.320 Vosovic is the only All Star that was dealt at 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:35.119 the deadline, So that's that's important. And the Bulls now 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.360 are really showing that they're trying to make a push 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:40.760 into the playoff conversation. With this move, he averages twenty 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:44.000 four and eleven. So he joined Zach Lavine and Company 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:46.760 and they're currently tenth in the East, trying to push 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:50.200 make that top eight. The biggest thing Toronto did not 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:54.200 trade point guard Kyle Lowry. That was kind of a buzz. 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:56.560 Is he gonna stay or go? He's a free agent 0:02:56.600 --> 0:02:59.360 this summer, thirty five years old, but he's asking for 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:01.639 a lot of money, as he should. But you know, 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:04.000 Adam Leftco told us last week he really wanted him 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:06.000 to go to Philly. There's also some talk of him 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.640 going to l a to play for the Lakers. And 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:11.200 it wasn't there something Adam said last week he played 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:14.400 against him in a a U in Philadelphia. He did. 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:18.360 He was just name dropping. I think we're all guilty 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:20.679 of that. But you know, the Raptors did sell High 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.880 and Norman Powell. They got Gary Trent Jr. And Rodney 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:26.560 Hood from Portland feel here. Actually, later in the show, 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:29.760 their former teammates C J. McCollum was telling me about 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:32.799 that and just how bizarre it is when your teammates 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:36.200 are traded away. So anyways, I think the Sads more 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:38.600 offense to the Blazers. Pale is a more kind of 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:41.800 dynamic shooter. He's having a great three point shooting season. 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.920 He's shooting from three. So that's all very exciting. But 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:50.360 over to the East, seven time All Star, LaMarcus Aldridge 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:53.680 goes to the Nets. You're broking Net. They've got Kyrie, 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:56.720 They've got k D who's still struggling with the hamstring 0:03:56.760 --> 0:04:00.520 reported not returning this week. James hard and Blake Griffin 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:04.080 now LaMarcus DeAndre Jordan's and they're coached by Steve Nash 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:06.680 with Mike D'Antoni on the bench. And as we record, 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.920 the Spety their second in the East behind Philly just 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:13.720 by one game. But how excited are you? I mean, 0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:17.000 it's it's the most exciting roster we've seen in a 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:21.520 long time. Yeah, I'm I'm not necessarily a super Nets fan, 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:25.400 but them assembling this monstars type roster is making me 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:29.640 gravitate towards them more and more. I think that the 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:34.360 fact that they're able to start five All Stars is absurd. 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:38.640 I mean, it's really at this point feeling like it's 0:04:38.720 --> 0:04:41.800 their finals to lose. I mean, I would love to 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.640 see them go up against l A, who just picked 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:48.919 up big man Andre Drummond. I think that is a 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.160 nice addition for l A. But talk about just from 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:55.720 a swag perspective, like who's killing it more than Brooklyn 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.640 right now? I don't know, Atlanta maybe now with lou 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:01.200 Will they got Tred Young, but you know in Brooklyn 0:05:01.279 --> 0:05:04.720 you've got Kyrie k D of course Hardened. We're talking 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:06.600 about some of the swaggies players in the league. So 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:08.960 I'm excited to see them on the court obviously, but 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:12.160 also off the court, just bringing a swag that energy 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:15.320 that the city needs. I think the swag is a 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:17.960 perfect word word for Their colors are kind of like 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:22.320 dangerous looking about it. My favorite thing about doing a 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:24.960 game at Barclay's too. I don't know if you feel 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:27.120 the same way anytime you walk in there. First of all, 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:31.120 it's so so beautiful. The court is so beautiful. It's awesome. 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:33.279 You get off the subway right there, like at the 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:35.960 front door. It's it's awesome, But it always to me 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:40.279 smells like chocolate chip cookies. I've asked, I've asked someone 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:42.919 who works at Barclays, why does it smell so amazing 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:45.440 in here like chocolate chip cookies. They said they pump 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:50.800 in sense of that in the sweets. No way, that's 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:53.600 what they don't. Try to keep the money in the building. Hey, 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:56.159 the money staying in the building, but they're spending a 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:58.760 lot of money to Wow. Yeah, I've been in there. 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:02.159 I have, I must. I've been in a suite in 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.280 the Barclays, and I've been in a suite at MSG 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:08.560 with the Knicks play, and the suits to me at 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:12.440 the Barclays are superior to that of the Garden. So 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:16.600 I can understand why I feel this way. Now, maybe 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:20.680 it's because low key they've been sneaking in chocolate chip 0:06:20.680 --> 0:06:24.080 cookie sense just to make me want to come back. No, absolutely, 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:26.280 But I thought I thought the Nets were your team though, 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:29.039 But are you kind of split with the Knicks? No? See, 0:06:29.080 --> 0:06:32.080 here's the thing. I used to be a super Kobe fan, right, Obviously, 0:06:32.120 --> 0:06:33.920 the late great Kobe Bryant is no longer with us. 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:36.520 And then after him, I was like, all right, I 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:38.600 have no reason to root for l A anymore, so 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:40.440 I have to come home to New York. And so 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:44.520 I've always just kind of casually like split my fandom 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:48.960 between Brooklyn and New York, which was fair because they 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:51.559 both stunck, you know, like neither of them were really winning, 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:54.960 they weren't really doing much. But now it looks like 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.159 the Knicks are gonna make the playoffs. It looks like 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.520 the Nets are also going to make the playoffs. But 0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:02.720 just from like a flavor perspective, yeah, I gotta go 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:04.960 with Brooklyn. It's you know, it's just different, and even 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.760 just the energy around the arena, you know, like when 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:11.920 you're around in downtown Brooklyn versus like midtown Manhattan, it's 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:15.000 just a different vibe, the vibe even like you said, 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:18.200 the colors, the jersey, just like everything about the Nets 0:07:18.240 --> 0:07:21.160 just brings that aura of like real gritty New York. 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:24.320 And that's why they're so fun to root for. Now. 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:26.560 I hear you, and you are nothing if not flavorful, 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:28.760 my friend. I feel like, if you say something's cool, 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:31.240 it is very cool. So the fact that you sign 0:07:31.320 --> 0:07:33.560 off on that, I can get behind the Nets too. 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:37.800 I'm absolutely honored at that compliment, maybe a top five 0:07:37.880 --> 0:07:41.640 compliment I've ever been given in my life. Now, coming 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:44.680 up next here on Unleashed, we've got c J McCollum on. 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:47.600 He's gonna sit down with Olivia. I'm sitting this one out, 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:50.680 but I'm excited for the people to hear your conversation. 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:53.440 What can the people expect in just a minute, will 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:56.520 we talk about our weddings? We talk about wine, um, 0:07:56.960 --> 0:08:00.560 everything in between and including this past three agency and 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:03.360 in trade deadline, and then what the Blazers need to 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:05.160 do to stay focused. You know, he's coming off an 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:08.280 injury in January, and and it's interesting to see how 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:13.200 this truncated NBA season and schedule is affecting players kind 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:15.320 of mentally as well. So it was a great conversation. 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:28.480 Fire can't wait. Let's get it to it. Ce J, 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:31.000 thank you so much for being on the show. I'm 0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:33.439 especially eager to talk to you right now, well about 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.680 about two things. Your wine label, which I don't even 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:38.440 know if you know this, but your people are sending 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:40.400 me some bottles and I cannot wait to try it, 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:43.680 the new Rose. And then I'm also very excited to 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:46.360 talk to you about your n C Double A tournaments. 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:49.199 Really two of them that put le High on the map. 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:51.360 And if you're okay, I want to start there because 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:55.000 it was it put you on the national radar. For sure. 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:56.840 You had already won conference Player of the Year a 0:08:56.840 --> 0:08:59.680 couple of years, but to make this run as a 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:02.120 sick team seed and then as a fifteen seed when 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:05.000 you upset Duke, do you feel like now the further 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:07.280 removed you are from that and as you watch these 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:10.280 games now, does it kind of hit you different, thinking, Wow, 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:13.640 we really pulled that off. Yeah, it's it's definitely weird 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:17.600 watching the highlights, seeing the baby face, the jersey swinging, 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:21.040 it takes me back to a lot of my collegiate memories. 0:09:21.040 --> 0:09:22.480 But it was a lot of fun and I'm thankful 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:24.160 for the opportunity and the experience to be able to 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:27.320 play in the tournament. As you said before, I had 0:09:27.520 --> 0:09:30.640 success in my conference, but I think from a national standpoint, 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:33.880 that stage is as big as it gets for collegiate athletes. 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:35.840 And to be able to play against Duke, not the 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:39.960 goliath coach k the team that has all those NBA 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:41.679 players for me to be able to play against them 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:43.920 and have success and be able to help my team win. 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:46.320 It kind of stamped me as a as a guy 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:49.320 who can play at the highest level. You had thirty 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:51.760 I want to say in that game against Duke, did 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:56.559 you feel the pressure of this is an NBA audition? Yeah, definitely. 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:59.720 It's it's the it's the opportunity you relish like you 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:01.920 look forward to a chance to kind of solidify. I 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:04.080 always say, like, I always know who I am, and 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:06.280 I think highly of myself, but that's your chance to 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:09.000 kind of show people who you think you are. And 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:13.120 if I would have performed not so well, I don't 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:15.199 think my situation would have probably turned out the same. 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:18.400 But from a pressure standpoint and our pressures, as the 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:20.959 saying goes, pressures, you know, the single mother trying to 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:23.800 provide for her children. Pressure is the is the person 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:25.880 who is trying to figure out how their next meal 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:27.840 is gonna come. For me, it's just a basketball game 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.520 that I've played my whole life, and it's my escape, 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:32.599 it's my happiness, is my piece. It allows me to 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:34.400 be able to potentially take care of my family, which 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:36.920 is what I do now. At the time, I was 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:39.200 just thinking I've worked hard, I've put the time in, 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:42.560 just show up, and whatever is meant to be will be. 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.360 And that's what kind of happened for me. I know 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:48.959 that gms and scouts really look at your resume as 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:51.160 a whole, but I cannot imagine at that age And 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:55.360 was that your junior year, were you? Yeah? Junior, I 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.360 was twenty, So at twenty years old, I don't think 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:01.240 most people can wrap their heads around that. That truly 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:04.960 a life altering night in that game. And you've got 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.400 to think that that caused a lot of separation for you. 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:10.000 I mean that that's crazy. How would you describe that 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:13.120 to someone who doesn't understand that. Yeah, I mean I 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:17.520 went from relatively unknown to like Justin Bieber and like 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:22.080 celebrities tweeting and being on the ESPN Sports Center speaking 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:25.560 to Charles Barkley Shack. So it was a little weird 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:27.959 for me personally because I'm just like a small school kid. 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:30.760 I grew up in cant Ohio, small city steel mills. 0:11:30.760 --> 0:11:32.400 You just you show up and you do your job 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:34.920 and you go home type of mentality. So it was 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:37.760 just more exposure for me to kind of being a 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:41.760 national spotlight that I'm showing my highlights too. Being talked 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:45.560 about as NBA player to the next that actual summer, 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:49.240 I end up declaring for the draft, going back to school, 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:51.160 and then I start the season off as a preseason 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:52.839 first team All American. So it kind of put me 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:56.520 in the spotlight as a guy who is elite at 0:11:56.559 --> 0:11:58.400 his position, a guy who has a chance to become 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:01.120 an NBA player, and someone who perform as well in 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:03.880 the bright stage. It's just crazy to think the course 0:12:03.880 --> 0:12:07.360 of history just how easily it could have gone another way. 0:12:07.400 --> 0:12:10.400 And then obviously you've deserved improving yourself at this level. 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:13.880 It's interesting. My husband played on the two Wisconsin teams 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:16.120 who went to back to back Final four's, played in 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:19.560 the National Championship, and then himself and Frank Kaminski end 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:22.320 up being the only players drafted from that team. And 0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:24.640 he always says, and I know Frank agrees, and I'm 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:27.680 curious if you have the same experience, There's something very 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:30.920 different about how much fun you're having playing the game 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:34.040 at that level. You know, in college, it's like your 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:37.360 teammates are your roommates, your parents are friends, they travel 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:40.679 to games together, your girlfriends are friends. It's just so intimate, 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:43.480 and I'm just curious if you have the same experience 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:46.120 as then comparing it to the NBA from just a 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.120 kind of fun and camaraderie standpoint, when guys are traded 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:52.480 left and right all the time. Yeah, I thought I've 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:56.559 seen the decker. I thought that was you. But yeah, 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:58.800 I think it's I think he's right, he's spot on. 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:01.880 The The experience you have in colleges is unique in itself, 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:05.600 and it's unlike anything you've ever experienced from the dorm rooms. 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:08.000 It's always joke. It's the only time in your life 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:11.559 to where you have freedom with no responsibility. The only 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:14.320 responsibility is to go to class and to go to practice. 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:18.839 There's no real repercussions for doing so many things you 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:20.920 can do as a professional athlete that will be in 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:23.520 the spotlight. So I think that's the funnest time. Like 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:25.840 you said before, the girlfriends are close, the parents are 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:27.920 coming to games. I remember my mom and dad would 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:30.960 come out for games, to come out for the conference championship, 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.720 we go eat at the dining hall. You kind of 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:35.560 do all of those things, and then you move off 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:38.440 campus and get a house, and that's really the only 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.120 time you have responsibility is to pay your rent. Which 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:42.880 you get a check from the team or a check 0:13:42.960 --> 0:13:46.680 from the university. But to now being in the NBA, 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:49.560 the deadline just passed. You talked about guys getting traded. 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:53.000 We had Gary Trent Jr. And Rodney Hood get traded 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:57.040 while we're in Miami to the Toronto Raptors who are 0:13:57.080 --> 0:14:00.439 based in Tampa, only to go play against them two 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:02.960 days later. It was super weird. It was It was crazy. 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:06.120 That kind of shows you the the business of basketball 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:09.520 and how in college like guys might transfer, coach might 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:12.640 just leave. But very rarely do you have to worry 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:15.560 about like your friends being traded within like the middle 0:14:15.559 --> 0:14:18.760 of the season. Oh absolutely yeah. I remember one time 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:21.200 Sam played four years in the league and he was 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.080 traded from Cleveland to Washington and they were playing the 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:26.440 Wizards the next day and he's like, I know I'll 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:28.040 be in the building. I just don't know what jersey 0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:31.200 I'm wearing, Like, I really don't. It's crazy. It's just crazy. 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:34.360 I don't think most people understand that dynamic of it. 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:36.800 But all of your interests off the court, I think 0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:40.880 make you so interesting to the average NBA fan, regardless 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:42.320 of who your team is. I think a lot of 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:45.080 people can get behind you, and you've handled yourself with 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:48.040 such class. And now this new project of the wine. 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:51.160 Tell me how that even started. Because obviously where you 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:53.880 are in organ is such a hotbed for this and 0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:57.040 such a famous region. And my wife introduced me to 0:14:57.160 --> 0:14:59.560 it in college. Obviously we were off a drinking auge. 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.040 Such she introduced me, and I wasn't a big fan 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:04.440 of it. And as I pursued her, and as I 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:06.720 kind of matured and my palette kind of evolved, I 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:10.240 began to like it more. Your fast forward, I get 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:14.800 drafted by the Blazers and I taste my first Oregon pino. 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:18.480 It was Walter Scott. It was volcanic soil from from 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:21.760 Bryant Creek, and I fell in love. I was like, wow, 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:23.840 this is actually good. Like I hadn't tasted like high 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:27.160 quality pino before. I had no idea what volcanic soil 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:29.080 even was until I read the label and like learned 0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:32.760 about it. But fast boards some more and I started 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:35.640 going to like Shela Mountains, I started going to Willama Valley. 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:38.160 Et takes me to some wineries. Evan turned and shout 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:41.840 out to my guy, and that's when everything kind of turned, 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:44.800 I became fascinated with it. End up, you know, having 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:48.280 a six hundred, seven hundred bottle seller. I started becoming 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:50.680 a member at different wineries and I told my agency, like, 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:52.920 I really enjoy wine. I would like to learn more 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:56.600 about it. Next thing, you know, I'm having conversations with 0:15:56.640 --> 0:15:59.560 Adol sim about a potential partnership in which I kind 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:01.520 of get to the terms. You know what it looks 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:05.200 like from educational standpoint of learning about wine, learning about 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:07.360 the business of wine. Gina the winemaker would kind of 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:10.520 walk me through the process of tasting different varietals and 0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:12.600 potentially I'll be able to design my own label, put 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:14.520 my own name on it, and start my own line. 0:16:14.560 --> 0:16:18.960 And here I am now with McCollum herritage. Just put 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.240 out a rose or rose will be coming out in 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.760 a week. I had a two eighteen penot Nework going 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:26.480 sell in September of last year that sold out pretty 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:35.600 fast and minutes. Yeah, should have made more, I guess, yeah, 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:39.880 but that's kind of the process. And my right heritage 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:44.360 was your nickname as a kid, no, c J. Well, 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:46.560 I had a lot of nicknames, but CJS probably the one. 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:49.000 But I grew up on Heritage Avenue, so that was 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:51.400 actually the street that I grew up on. So that's 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:53.120 that's probably with my heritage, and I'm just big on 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:56.200 my heritage in general. So that's heritage. But my wife's 0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.440 favorite flowers and theorim flowers, so that's the flower I 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.680 put on the bottom. That's so awesome. We'll see. J 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:05.160 I'm actually kind of selfishly interested in the process of 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:08.120 making your own wine because it's something I've always thought 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:10.000 i'd maybe get into down the road. I used to 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:12.840 work at a vineyard in summers in college, and UM 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:16.879 have always loved experiencing that, traveling to the Bordeaux Valley, 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:20.720 Loire Valley, Kiante, and and learning more about the business. 0:17:20.760 --> 0:17:23.959 So tell me, how do you even start curating your 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:28.080 own bottle? It's tough, but depending on what you're into. 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:32.560 For me, it was more about education. I factored in 0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:35.560 two things, right, quality of wine, what type of wine 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:37.320 is it? What type of wine do I like? What 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:39.520 type of education can I gain from this? And then 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:43.080 from a live sustainability standpoint, their life certified, which means 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:44.840 they care about the environment. So I wanted to make 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:46.760 sure that I approached it in a way in which 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:50.600 I'm not being a detriment to society. I'm also educating 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.399 myself and I'm able to enjoy a great product, and 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:55.920 there's a lot of great options in the will Emmy 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:58.480 Valley and in the Shahalen Mountains. But out of sim 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:00.440 just kind of made sense to me if like an 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:03.000 authentic partnership. It felt genuine, It felt like it was 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:05.480 the right thing for me to do, and so far 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:08.120 we've had nothing but pleasant experiences together and being able 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:10.560 to collaborate on a lot of different things. So that 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:12.400 was my process. But I don't think there's a wrong 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:15.840 way to do it, because no matter what happens, you 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:19.080 get to taste wines, which is always a BLUs. You 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.040 get to learn about wine, and you get to educate 0:18:21.080 --> 0:18:22.840 yourself on the business of wine, which is a whole 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:26.680 another aspect that the casual drinker doesn't experience. Like now, 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:29.359 I look at bottles differently because I had to design 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:30.800 a label, I had to get a patent, I had 0:18:30.840 --> 0:18:33.480 to kind of figure out what I would name things, 0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:36.520 what years I would try to put out, and then 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:38.480 with Britles I would try to put out. So there's 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:40.600 a there's a lot that goes into it. But it's 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:44.720 been a very rewarding process because I've been able to 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:47.080 see from start to finish a wine with my name 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:49.800 on it, with with my taste preference, and then being 0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:51.919 able to share that with strangers has been has been 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:55.960 a really cool experience. Man, that is a dream. But 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.560 a lot of people now kind of associate the n 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.480 b A with like it's like a mini wine club, 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:04.600 Like when did this happen? I feel like NBA players 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:07.720 have now taken ahold of the industry. And you hear 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:10.480 about you know, on the plane two games, you know, 0:19:10.560 --> 0:19:14.800 drinking like extremely expensive nice bottles of wine or in 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:17.760 the hotels, and obviously it's the coaches. I worked for 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:20.720 the Atlanta Hawks for three years and Mike Grutenholzer is 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:23.520 a big wine Oh he got that from Popovich and 0:19:23.520 --> 0:19:25.920 and then I would see the whole staff. But they're like, 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:28.919 it's such an art. When did this happen in the NBA? 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:33.240 I think it happened over time as players began to mature, 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:35.680 begin to get more into the business realm, and I 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:38.480 think they got more comfortable with the world of wine. 0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:41.280 It started with you know, older players talking about it 0:19:41.320 --> 0:19:44.600 in their interviews Obviously, you've got Lebron, You've got Cep, 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:46.240 you got Jimmie, You've got mel All, You've got all 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:48.359 these players who've been in the league over fifteen years 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:51.280 who have been exposed to a lot and now are 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:53.960 comfortable with speaking one. You've got d Way to own wine. 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:56.840 You've got the curries who have their own wine. And 0:19:57.000 --> 0:20:00.840 now it's kind of expanding to where joh Chart, you know, 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:03.399 most partnering with prisoner J. J. Reddix and the y 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:06.480 he loves white Burgundy. I have my own wine. So 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:09.040 now we're becoming more comfortable with it because it's more 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:12.600 socially accepted as opposed to, you know, certain things that 0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:15.640 just aren't aren't viewed the same. Wine is a It's 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.080 something that you can enjoy in a mature setting. You 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:20.240 can do business, you can do it with teammates, you 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:22.160 can do with family and loved ones. And I think 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:26.520 it's become more acceptable in our culture as as a 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:29.240