Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum has pulled a Mike Tyson. Apart from knocking out, not literally, the defense of the Memphis Grizzlies, he has done something rather amusing. He imitated Iron Mike on national television.
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The man of the hour, CJ, had one great game in the first match of the play-in tournament in the Bubble. He posted 29 points in the game and ensured they do not have to play the Grizzlies again to claim that #8 seed. But everything put aside, his interview took us by surprise.
When Portland Trail Blazers star showcased his wit
Allow us to take you back in 2003. Mike Tyson was coming back from a loss against Lennox Lewis. He was to next fight Clifford Etienne. It took the Baddest Man on the Planet just 49 seconds to knock his opponent out. After the bout ended, Mike took the interviewer Jim Gray by surprise as he claimed, “My back is broken. Spinal.”
That interview went down in history as an iconic one, to be remembered forever. Now CJ McCollum imitated exact same words as he jokingly exclaimed in a post-game interview, “I got a lot left. I broke my back, Spinal! [Chuckles].” Damian Lillard was his partner in crime as he was making this hilarious remark.
“I broke my back, spinal.”
After a big win, @CJMcCollum gave a nod to @MikeTyson 😆 pic.twitter.com/nvH4LLlrKU
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) August 15, 2020
We can draw a parallel between the two incidents set 17 years apart. Mike had later in an interview confessed that he misinterpreted his doctor’s words. Nevertheless, Mike won that “Back to Business” bout despite not being 100% fit. Our man CJ pulled something similar.
CJ McCollum is playing irrespective of his injury
The Blazers have listed the small forwards Rodney Hood, Trevor Ariza, and Nassir Little as injured. They also have power forwards Caleb Swanigan and Zach Collins listed injured, but this extensive list nowhere has CJ’s name on it.
NBCSNW Trail Blazers’ Insider had reported CJ McCollum had suffered an L3 vertebral transverse process fracture (non-displaced) while their game against the Denver Nuggets on August 6. Surprisingly, McCollum did not just continue to play, but continued to play very well. We can comfortably say that, if not for his outstanding performance, Grizzlies could have won.
His heroics showed in the fourth quarter when he made two end moment buckets against Ja Morant. His three-pointer from down the line ensured that they take a crucial lead in the last minutes. So his imitation of Mike Tyson makes sense, and we respect both his humor as well as his dedication towards the franchise.
Mike Tyson will be back in action on September 12 against Roy Jones Jr, while McCollum will most probably play on August 18 against Los Angeles Lakers.
