Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews is more than a social media sensation with a wicked jump shot. A former collegiate star who was not drafted into the NBA, but played pro basketball overseas, has established himself as the most in-demand shooting coach on the scene. NBA players such as Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown, and many more have gleaned from his knowledge as the authority on shooting the basketball.

Arguably one of the world’s premiere shooters, his feats have made him a social media sensation and has caught the attention of Diddy, Rick Ross, and other celebrities who want his services. In a partnership with Red Bull, Matthews puts on shooting clinics to inspire the next generation of ballers and he competes across the globe in various shooting contests where his shooting prowess is on full display.

In 2022, he released Life & Basketball: The Rise of Lethal Shooter, a documentary about his meteoric rise to success.

BET.com spoke with Matthews about working with NBA players, and being featured in NBA 24 and what makes a great shooter.

BET.com: How did the basketball scene in Washington D.C., and the surrounding areas influence your game?

Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews: The DMV made me who I am today. I mean the grittiness, the toughness that in all these tough neighborhoods has never left me. Being in those types of environments where people call you all types of names comes with a lot of pressure to win those games. There were a lot of big games where we were playing against other neighborhoods, and we had to win those games. So those moments molded me not just as an athlete but as a man to be able to handle pressure. 

BET.com: In your expert opinion, what makes a great shooter?

Matthews: You have to be mentally strong. Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods because he's mentally strong. Michael Jordan is Michael Jordan because he's mentally strong. Serena Williams is Serena because she's mentally strong. Anybody that's going to be great at something must have the toughness that nothing can break them. The reason why Steph Curry is the best shooter of all time is because nothing rattles him. When people saw me breaking records at St. Bonaventure, it was because I have mental toughness as a shooter. I was number one in Atlantic 10, in my senior year and one of eight players in the NCAA to make over 100 threes. 

When you have mental toughness, you're going to put the work in and you're going to block out the noise. And as a shooter, you won't allow anything on the court to distract you when it's time to hit your target.

BET.com: On your high school team, you played with Kevin Durant. How was it to be his teammate and go up against some of the best high players of that era?

Matthews: Kevin Durant played on my high school team but in AAU, I went up against everybody playing for DC assault. I played against LeBron James, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. I played against almost everybody on the AAU circuit because I was one of the best shooters in the state of Maryland. I was always ranked top five from the 10th grade to the 12th grade. I was always ranked top five in the whole state of Maryland shooting guards. 

BET.com: After playing basketball at Washington State and St. Bonaventure, you played basketball overseas which must have been quite an experience. What is the biggest difference between pro basketball in Europe and four-yearthe U.S.? How did you navigate the change of cultures?

Matthews: A lot of people don't understand that when you see a Luca Dončić or Dirk Nowitzki, these guys have been playing in a pro setting since they were probably like 10 years old. Many of these players go to school, but they are being developed in clubs. When I played in Russia, the best athletes, don;t go to regular schools. They go to schools based on how to help them become the best athletes. So you might work out for an hour or two, but throughout the whole day, you're getting your mind and body right to win championships for those clubs. So a lot of people might see Luka in the NBA and dominate, but they don't realize that he’s been prepared to be 10 times ahead of a four-year college athlete. 

BET.com: Although you had aspirations to be an NBA player you suffered some injuries that set you back. When did you discover that you had to gift to teach shooting to other players and thought you could turn it into a thriving business venture/

Matthews: I've probably only shared this once or twice, but a lot of people didn’t know my back was against the wall. Coach John Thompson said to me, “Every time you're in the gym, you're always teaching people how to shoot. I don't think you realize you are like a coach. You need to help us and be on the staff at Georgetown as the shooting coach.” I did three interviews with Georgetown but I didn’t want to do it. At the time, his son was the coach but Big John was still helping with everything. They asked to work with one of their players who was going to play for the collegiate U.S. team. 

After three weeks of working together, he killed, and they won the gold. As I got older I realized Big John saw it in me from the beginning. But I didn't realize it until I was older that I had the gift of helping people with the art of shooting.

BET.com: How did you feel when you began working with NBA players?

Matthews:  It’s been such a blessing. I worked with some different guys from Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Kyle Kuzma, and Domantas Sabonis.  Jaylen Brown is my client right now and we were together all summer. I worked with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for the last four years and Michael Porter Jr. With Grant Williams, we changed his whole shot over the summer. We changed Bobby Portis's whole shot. A lot of people don't know what I do for Nike Grassroots or Nike EYBL. When you see a Cooper flag and a D.J. Wagner from Kentucky. We take the time to help these kids master the art of shooting. 

BET.com: NBA 2K is still the standard for basketball games by gamers. It did it feel when you found out you were a part of NBA 2K24?

Matthews: As an African American ballplayer who did not make it to the NBA, where we come from, sometimes you could feel like a failure. I never looked at myself as a failure because my dad always told me to go to school and get that college degree. So for me to be in NBA 2K, to have my jump shot and a gym in the game, then for plays to be able to use my jump shot with a Lethal Shooter spot in the video game, it feels like I'm an NBA player. 

That’s just another example of showing people the shooter's mindset because giving is not an option. you might not make it to the NBA but you could do other things around that space to be successful. 

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited for length and clarity.