Hey everyone, welcome in to another edition of the WojPod here in New York with Portland Trailblazers Guard, C.J. McCollum.

So we're completing a home-and-home series here.

We did the pull-up podcast with C.J. McCollum earlier now. Welcome into the WojPod, C.J.

I appreciate you having me on, man. It's an honor and a privilege.

Well, thank you. So USA basketball starts their national team camp in Vegas today, C.J. You were on the roster, Damon Lillard, James Hart, and Anthony Davis.

And now the roster looks very different.

A lot of the established players in the league have pulled out of it.

Why did everyone bail this summer?

I think it was a combination of things for me, more specifically looking at the previous season,

how long it was.

I had the poplidious strain in my leg, went through that rehab phase,

I had to get ready for the playoffs, and then looking at what I wanted to accomplish this summer,

looking at what we could possibly do next season as a team. I just felt like it was in my best

to not do it. I talked to Neil, I talked to Sam, I kind of figured out my training schedule

by speaking to our strength conditioning staff on how I normally tailor my schedule, how I normally, you know,

plan it in terms of trying to peak at a certain time, trying to be in game shape at a certain

time. I would have had to move things up a little too fast. I wasn't comfortable with it

based on, you know, what I wanted to accomplish this summer. And I think, you know, the biggest thing for me is I'm at a

point in my career now. I'm 27, turn to 28 in September to where I have to think long term. I have to

think about the miles I'm putting on my body, how I'm specifically training. And if, you know, I really

wanted to fly to China again, you know, fly to Australia, fly to California, be in Las Vegas, do those

types of things now, or train the way I want to, be able to go to my grandma's birthday,

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