Lillard and McCollum Are Media Experts

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are one of the best duos in the NBA on the court and, according to Kent Babb of the Washington Post, media masters off the court:

Lillard and McCollum are young, talented and versatile. They’re also underpublicized, which is why it’s so interesting — and essential — that two former overachievers from small colleges have achieved NBA stardom in part because they’re skilled at creating their own megaphone and uniquely able to keep eyes and ears trained on them.

McCollum, a 27-year-old former journalism major with a popular podcast and the occasional guest column, has continued his media studies in an effort to reach “a better understanding,” he said, “of how I want to express myself.”

Babb also discussed Lillard’s recent breaking of NBA reporter moves on Twitter:

And Lillard, 28, is something of a media chaos agent: He had the NBA watchers watching him this summer as he broke news of reporters changing jobs, reminding them — occasionally by force — that no one at this level is in the business of keeping secrets.

“Nobody knew where I was getting my information from,” Lillard would recall, and the power and insider knowledge was at times intoxicating

The piece also goes in depth into McCollum’s background as a journalism major at Lehigh, Lillard’s and Chris Haynes’ plan to have him break Haynes’ move to Yahoo Sports, and much more.