Pelicans reveal concerning lung injury for CJ McCollum

The New Orleans Pelicans are sharing some concerning news about star guard CJ McCollum.

The Pelicans announced on Sunday that McCollum has been diagnosed with a small pneumothorax in his right lung (a.k.a a small collapsed lung) after medical imaging was taken earlier in the day. New Orleans adds that the veteran will undergo additional examination in the next 48 hours to determine the progress of his healing.

McCollum, 32, is in his 11th NBA season and was second on the Pelicans with 21.7 points per game through the team’s first six contests. He was also chipping 4.8 rebounds, a team-leading 5.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, making him arguably New Orleans’ best all-around performer.

A bigger concern for McCollum is that this is not a new issue for him. He already suffered a collapsed right lung in Dec. 2021 as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. McCollum missed 18 games with the injury at the time, an absence of nearly a month-and-a-half before he returned to the floor. Now that McCollum is apparently dealing with a recurrence of the issue less than two years later, there is obviously much greater worry.