"Disrespect to certain populations" - NBPA President CJ McCollum explains decision to vote against Donald Trump in 2024 election
Along with continuing his NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans, CJ McCollum serves as the president of the NBA Player's Association. Ahead of the 2024 US Presidential election, the veteran guard opened up on which candidate he'll support.
In an interview with Andscape published on Tuesday, McCollum touched on the importance of the league using its platform to encourage voting. He also made his position clear on which candidate he plans to cast his ballot for.
Like many of his NBA and WNBA counterparts, CJ McCollum is backing current Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. The Pelicans guard said it was an "easy decision" to support her over former President Donald Trump.
“Have you seen Trump and how divisive he is?" McCollum said. "All those things that we have seen historically with the disrespect to certain populations, it’s an easy decision [for Harris].”
McCollum joins the growing list of figures within the league expressing their support for Harris. Other supporters include LA Lakers star LeBron James and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Now in his 12th season, McCollum is still a productive guard in the NBA. Through his first handful of games with the Pelicans this year, he is averaging 18.8 points and 4.0 assists.
CJ McCollum speaks on declined interest to promote voting in 2024 election
Over the past decade, the NBA and its players have prided themselves on being tapped in on social issues around the world. Players have spoken up on injustices on numerous occasions, but CJ McCollum feels things have changed leading up to the 2024 election.
Back in 2020, the league was very hands-on in pushing people to vote and responding to social issues. The most famous instance was when players decided to boycott games following the death of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
Fast forward to the present day, and CJ McCollum feels the effort to push people to hit the polls has decreased greatly. He feels this stems from the return to normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There was more time to be aware," McCollum said about 2020. “You were doing nothing [during the Pandemic] so you see everything and we exposed to everything.
"Now, everyone goes back to work, people have their own lives, and they’re not necessarily as tapped in as they were historically. In 2020, the world stopped. Everyone paid attention."
Despite what he feels is a depleted interest, McCollum is still doing his part to urge Americans to exercise their right to vote.