The current president of the National Basketball Players Association will open the 2023-24 NBA season at FedExForum against the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies, and C.J. McCollum is fully aware of when he might face Morant again.

“I think his opening night is against us, 24 games from now,” McCollum said Wednesday morning. 

It certainly is. Morant may return from his 25-game suspension on December 19 in New Orleans.

Prior to then, he was limited to practice, shootarounds, and filming sessions. He passed the ball to young players Kenneth Lofton Jr. and GG Jackson during the open portion of Wednesday’s shootaround.

However, when NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Morant’s ban for a second incident in which Morant appeared to flash a gun on Instagram, the NBPA reacted angrily. Tamika Tremaglio, executive director of the union, issued a statement in which she expressed her displeasure with the punishment, calling it “excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons, including the facts involved in this particular incident, and that it is not fair and consistent with past discipline in our league.”

Nothing came of the unhappiness, which McCollum acknowledged while rallying behind Morant ahead of the season start. 

“I believe we’re all just progressing.” “Ja is making progress,” McCollum added. “I think he’s been practicing, been around the team, which is great for him to continue to stay in shape and be around the game that he loves, and I think this is time for him to grow, time for him to lock in and be ready to return.”

Ja Morant has been suspended from the team. Steven Adams is in pain. Can the Memphis Grizzlies compete again?

McCollum’s status in the NBPA also means he’s had a lot of interaction with Jaren Jackson Jr. in recent months. Jackson was elected vice president of the NBPA by his colleagues in February of this year, and he sat on the NBPA executive committee throughout the most recent round of collective bargaining agreement discussions. 

McCollum spoke highly of Jackson’s potential as a league leader, emphasizing how prepared he appeared to be for this job due to his mother. Terri Carmichael Jackson is the current executive director of the WNBPA. 

McCollum explained that the goal is to get the league’s younger stars involved with the players’ union at an early age. He believes Jackson contributed the most by asking the appropriate questions about basketball business and how to expand the game. The goal is that Jackson will eventually be able to do what McCollum is doing now.  

“Obviously Jaren is a star in his own right,” McCollum said, “but very bright in terms of his knowledge and understanding of sports, life, business, entertainment, and I think for us it’s about continuing to make sure that we’re molding and preparing the younger generation of stars for what’s to come.” Are you over 30? A lot of the individuals on the executive committee are over 30, so it’s crucial that we target the correct categories of athletes who will be long-term members of the league.”

“Before you know it,” he added, “they’ll be a part of everything, and when you think about it, you’ll be running the league.” Twenty-three, 24, 25-year-olds in the league have a long history, a lot of years remaining to play at a high level, and it’s critical they have a say in the game because I won’t be here in ten years.”