Pelicans’ CJ McCollum Announces McCollum Scholars Program For Underprivileged Children

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum recently announced on MLK Day that he had created a scholarship program to help ten underprivileged children in the New Orleans community by paying for their college tuition. The program will officially be called the McCollum Scholars Program, in partnership with College Beyond, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape.com. It will provide ten Pell Grant-eligible students from New Orleans high schools with an $80,000 scholarship for four years.

“It’s the fate of the universe,” said McCollum. “Things are kind of coming along at the right time with the partnerships and collaboration. With College Beyond, it’s ready in the new year. And obviously, there’s a huge significance on Martin Luther King Day, his legacy, and what he’s done to try to change the world.

“And I’m not saying I’m MLK or anything like that, but I’m trying to continue to make the world a better place and do things the right way and take advantage of the blessings that have been bestowed upon my family and try to do what you can when you can to help others.”

Each scholar will receive a maximum of $20,000 over four years. Spears also reported that any remaining funds will be reallocated towards the individual’s school or in preparation for their career fund.

McCollum, who is also the President of the Players Association, was recently asked by PlayersTV what we could expect in terms of community work, to which he replied, “So far, I’ve really just focused on New Orleans lately—being in New Orleans and addressing some of the specific needs such as education, food insecurity, or crime. I’m also considering ways to improve the juvenile justice system and department.” He added, “Putting together some scholarship programs to help alleviate some of the pressures these kids are going through.

CJ McCollum when asked what can we expect from the Players Association in terms of community work:

“So far, I’ve really just focused on New Orleans lately. Being in New Orleans and some of the needs that are specific to New Orleans,” Says McCollum via @ThePlayersTV.

“Whether… pic.twitter.com/g8RiZbMBPJ

— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) January 16, 2024

Two seasons ago, McCollum joined the Pelicans through a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. The trade sent him, along with Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell, to New Orleans, and Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, a 2022 first-round pick (protected), and two future second-round picks to Portland.