C. J. McCollum ’13 made Lehigh history on June 27, 2013, when he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA draft. He was the 10th overall pick.

He had finished his Lehigh career as the Patriot League’s all-time leading scorer.

His rise to prominence was a point of pride for the Lehigh community. A journalism alum, he frequently emphasized the importance of education, family and commitment when giving interviews and in articles he penned. In “Poked, Prodded … Then Picked,” an editorial in Sports Illustrated, McCollum wrote that his time at Lehigh had helped prepare him for the life of a professional athlete.

“A lot of guys leave college early, but I wouldn’t have been ready for this process two years ago,” wrote McCollum in June 2013. “That extra maturity helped me.”