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🏀 CJ McCollum Makes History!

🏀 CJ McCollum Makes History!

Chris Lesiak
September 22, 2022

Why Robert Sarver let future 7x all-star Joe Johnson walk, CJ McCollum makes history after buying a vineyard, and Lakers taking a 'wait and see' approach regarding a Russell Westbrook trade.

Finish the week strong!

ROBERT SARVER & JOE JOHNSON

Why Robert Sarver Let Future 7x All-Star Joe Johnson Walk

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is officially selling the team following an official NBA investigation that uncovered some truly disturbing misconduct. While the context of the situation is very sad, Suns fans have been clamoring for a change of ownership for years because of Sarver’s unwillingness to spend competitively.

There is no shortage of examples of Sarver prioritizing costs over winning, but the most glaring example might be losing future 7x All-Star Joe Johnson over money. Coming off a string of monster performances in the 2005 playoffs on a team that made it to the Western Conference Finals, Johnson entered the offseason as a restricted free agent looking to re-sign and be fairly compensated.

Instead, he received a lowball offer, around $40M below the max, which forced the promising forward into signing an offer sheet with the Hawks. Tensions got so bad that when he signed it, he specifically asked Phoenix not to match, as he no longer wanted to be a part of the organization.

Phoenix let him go via sign and trade, despite having a win-now contender built around Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire. Meanwhile, Johnson flourished in Atlanta, earning an All-Star appearance in six of the next seven seasons. The Suns continued to be really good in his absence, but they never got over the hump, and Joe Johnson easily could've been the difference maker in bringing Phoenix its first championship.

CJ MCCOLLUM

CJ McCollum Makes History After Buying Vineyard

The NBA and the wine industry have more overlap than you might think. Dwyane Wade has Wade Cellars, and Channing Frye has Chosen Family Wine, but CJ McCollum is the first NBA player to own vineyard land.

CJ purchased a 318-acre Oregon property in 2021, just one year after the launch of McCollum Heritage 91, which has already brought six new wines to market.

McCollum Heritage 91 is a passion project shared between CJ and his wife, Elise, who helped spark his interest in wine. And while the McCollums are thrilled with their vineyard and product, so far, CJ sees an opportunity to make the wine industry more accessible.

Of the 11,000+ wineries in the U.S., less than one percent are Black-owned or have a Black winemaker. While speaking about this discrepancy, McCollum said: “as a Black man who is now in the wine world, I would encourage more Black men and women, and minorities in general, to learn more about wine and be open to exploring it.”

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Lakers Taking a 'Wait and See Approach' Regarding Westbrook Trade

Russell Westbrook trade rumors have been a recurring theme this offseason, but with training camp less than a week away, he’s going to begin the season in Los Angeles. While the future Hall-of-Famer recently listed his LA mansion for sale, the Lakers aren’t going to be making any rash decisions on his future with the team.

According to L.J. Ellis of Spurs Talk, via a Western Conference scout, the Lakers have been: "telling teams that they will take a wait and see approach to trading Westbrook as training camp approaches." Ellis noted that while the Lakers and Spurs are no longer actively talking trades, they previously discussed packages that would have sent multiple picks to San Antonio. Ellis also mentioned that the Lakers preferred previous offers from the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz.