It has been more than a month since Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum experienced a health scare. After their December 4 faceoff against the Boston Celtics, a CT scan revealed that McCollum had a collapsed lung. Before the end of 2021, it was reported that the veteran shooting guard fully recovered and would rejoin the Trail Blazers soon.
However, McCollum is yet to play a single game for the Trail Blazers this year. Despite being 100 percent healthy, McCollum decided to spend more time away from the court to wait for the birth of his son.
CJ McCollum Announces Birth Of Son Jacobi James
Recently, McCollum announced the birth of his son with his wife Elise. On his official Instagram account, McCollum posted a picture of him and his son, Jacobi James McCollum, while giving a message to Elise.
"Healthy Happy Mommy and Son. Our little man Jacobi James McCollum born January 10th 11:59pm," McCollum wrote. "Thank you Lord for a successful delivery. Boo Boo Bear thank you for carrying our son with such elegance , dedication, love, care and joy. My angel brought our angel into this world. Sharing a child with you in my eyes is the greatest feeling life has to offer so thank you. The happiest moments of my life have been and will forever be shared with you my love. I look forward to taking care of you and Jacobi for eternity."
CJ-Elise McCollum Romance
McCollum and his wife Elise have known each other since college where they both attended Lehigh University Mountain Hawks. While McCollum focused on his basketball career, Elise graduated with a B.A. in Behavioral Science and has a Master’s Degree in Engineering, according to ClutchPoints.
McCollum proposed to Elise in September 2018 while they were on a boat sailing around New York City. They got married in October 2020 at a beautiful Oregon vineyard. McCollum hinted at Elise’s pregnancy after attending Damian Lillard’s wedding last year.
When Will CJ McCollum Return?
After fully recovering from a collapsed lung and the birth of his son, McCollum could finally make his return to the court. According to a Twitter post by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the veteran shooting guard is set to play for the Trail Blazers when they face the Orlando Magic on Monday night at Amway Center.
The Trail Blazers would definitely love to have McCollum back, especially now that Damian Lillard is on the sideline with an abdominal injury. As of now, they are out of the playoff race, sitting in the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference with a 17-25 record.
Is A CJ McCollum Trade Still A Possibility?
As of now, the Trail Blazers must be hoping that McCollum could still save them from suffering a huge disappointment in the 2021-22 NBA season. However, if they fail to show a massive improvement and play like a lottery team, the Trail Blazers would likely need to make a tough decision before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
The Trail Blazers may have said on numerous occasions that they have no intention of trading Lillard, but the same thing can’t be said of McCollum. With McCollum finally injury-free, the Trail Blazers could explore using him as the main trade chip to improve their roster around Lillard.
]]>The Inquisitr
