CJ McCollum hit the game-winning shot in the Atlanta Hawks' Game 3 victory over the New York Knicks in the first round of last year's playoffs.
Not only does he remember that shot, but he remembers enjoying being a guest on Prime Video's "NBA Nightcap" postgame show
where he appeared in his pajamas and the hosts joked he put the Knicks "to sleep." They all laughed about his role of villain as his son popped in to say hello.The party doesn't have to stop there as NBA on Prime announced on Thursday, Nov. 12 that the 14-year veteran guard will be a player commentator for several programs this season starting with "NBA Nightcap" on Friday, Nov. 13.
"The conversation and team analysis that night was really fun," he told USA TODAY Sports of the postgame
memories, "and I thought the chemistry was there, and I felt like it made a lot of sense (for me to join the Prime team). And I have a great appreciation for what NBA on Prime is doing, what the crew is doing, and how they educate and share authentic analysis."
McCollum, 35, majored in journalism at Lehigh University and has experience hosting his own podcast with "The CJ McCollum Show" and "Pull Up with CJ McCollum."
Among Prime's All-Star team of talent that he is joining is a mix of longtime broadcasters, including Kevin Harlan, and basketball greats like Udonis Haslem, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Candace Parker. McCollum said the team is "a really cool atmosphere, really great environment of people that I respect and admire."
"They're very honest. They watch the game. They're students of the game. They’re people who appreciate the game and they do a great job of describing why certain things are happening," he continued. "... When you have that group of professionals who have played the game, have talked the game, have lived the game, have been around it and seen it for so long, you get various impactful moments where viewers are able to really get a glimpse of what's actually happening, why it's happening, in an insightful way that they can digest."
McCollum appreciates the craft of journalism and how showing the human element of any story brings people together. As journalism continues to face industry challenges, the 2016 Most Improved Player has hope.
"Storytelling is vital. I think it makes the world a better place," he said. "Being able to hear people's stories, being able to see people's journeys not just in the sports world but in life, I think is something that we all can appreciate.
"And journalism isn't dying. It's just evolving. But I think the people who move with integrity, who do things the right way and really appreciate the craft are continuing to thrive for sure."
McCollum shared with USA TODAY Sports some thoughts about various NBA topics as a sneak peek of what fans can expect from him as a guest commentator on Prime Video.
CJ McCollum on Hawks' season so far, scoring 17k points, Jalen Johnson's success
McCollum re-signed with the Hawks this summer after joining the team from the Washington Wizards last season in the Trae Young trade. He remains a veteran leader even as he is coming off the bench and reached the 17,000 points mark when he scored 21 in Atlanta's loss on Monday, Nov. 9 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"It means a lot," he said of reaching the scoring mark. "It's a sign of longevity, being able to be around for a long time and play at a high level. It’s a sign of hard work and appreciation for the sport. But it’s also a sign of playing with good teammates, good coaching staff, people that have been able to help me get the best out of my talent and utilize a lot of the resources that we have around us and turn that into some success on the court."
Jalen Johnson is a rising star for Atlanta who helped the Hawks get to a four-game winning streak before the loss. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the 24-year-old scored 30 points in his return from an ankle injury to help with a comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets.
"Obviously, the scoring speaks for itself," McCollum said. "His vision, I think, could be one of his best traits. He's a great passer, leading transition, elite on the break, great paint finisher, and a guy who rebounds at a high level as well. And I think he's a guy that really appreciates the game, is a student of the game, studies it, lives it, and I think the sky is the limit for him."
Atlanta was on full display last month when the Atlanta Dream made it to the WNBA Finals. Angel Reese and company lost the championship to the Golden State Valkyries, but made headlines with performances from Quavo, Big Boi and a heartwarming national anthem from T.I.'s daughter, Heiress Harris.
McCollum pointed out that, at the time of the interview, the Usher and Chris Brown tour was in town and the Atlanta Falcons were in the middle of the NFL season as extra reason that the city was the place to be.
"The energy is always high in Atlanta," he said. "... Atlanta's in a really great place. It's obviously a place of its own, where you have food, you have culture, you have people from different walks of life."
CJ McCollum on Damian Lillard's comeback
Something this season that NBA fans were anticipating was the return of Damian Lillard. McCollum was teammates with the nine-time All-Star on the Portland Trail Blazers, where they both started their careers. McCollum was there for eight seasons before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans midway though the 2021-22 season.
Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in the 2025 playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks and missed the entirety of last season after going back to Portland. In his comeback this fall, he's averaging 20 points per game, had two 25-point efforts and his jumpshot still looks like water.
McCollum was not surprised "at all."
"I think there was uncertainty from the outside. But for people that knew Dame, know his work ethic, his diligence, his approach to things, we knew he was going to have this type of comeback," he said. "He's worked extremely hard, and I'm thankful and happy to be his friend and have played with him for so long. And to see him be able to overcome something like this is not surprising at all.
"I've seen how he's worked. (We’ve) been in contact with each other consistently. That's my guy, spent some time together in Oregon when I was out there in the summer, and this is a guy who takes his craft very seriously. He’s a pro’s pro, takes care of his body, takes care of his mind, and he's in a great space being home again and being back in Oregon, where it all started, that I think is a match made in heaven for him, and I'm happy to see him thriving."
CJ McCollum on NBA apron conversation, Fred VanVleet as new NBPA president
Another hot topic of conversation in the NBA is the second apron, which was established in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement when McCollum was president of the NBPA. The rule creates what can be compared to a hard salary cap that has firm penalties if exceeded.
"The conception of this years ago was more about creating parity," McCollum said, "owners, teams, the union coming to an agreement that there needed to be some changes within the systems of how to strengthen some of the lower tier markets."
The second apron has been criticized for doing too much to squash superteams and breaking up championship rosters. Bruce Brown specifically said that he had trouble in free agency and teams were using the second apron as a reason not to sign him. Karl-Anthony Towns, who won the NBA Finals with the Knicks last season, also said he's had difficulties getting a contract he thinks he's worthy of.
McCollum said that only three years into the new CBA, it's too early to determine if a rule like the second apron is working.
"When you're creating something, you don't necessarily know how it's going to turn out, obviously," he continued. "And as you kind of go through something, you kind of figure out the amendments that need to take place, make sure that teams aren't being punished for drafting well.
"... We're only a few years into it. There's more things that need to be evaluated. It's hard to project what types of impacts something like an apron is going to have on the actual management and construction of a roster and how that affects contracts in the long run. But I think you need more data, more information to truly judge whether or not you're heading in the right direction."
Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet became NBPA president in 2025 and McCollum applauded his successor's handling of the role.
"He's doing a phenomenal job," he said. "A guy who's very mature, has continued to figure out ways to help build the business of basketball, collaborating with the NBA from a partnership standpoint. I think he's doing an excellent job. I think his leadership, obviously, on the basketball court, but his leadership off the court is something that people respect, his peers respect, and excited to see what he continues to do for not only our players but also for the league."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CJ McCollum joins NBA on Prime crew, discusses role on Hawks, Damian Lillard's comeback
