Zion Williamson

At 24 years old, Zion Williamson has this physical status:

Zion Lateef Williamson (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. (NBA)

He plays both small forwards and power forward positions.

He was selected first overall in the 2019 NBA draft following a strong freshman season with the Duke Blue Devils. Williamson, a native of Salisbury, North Carolina, attended Spartanburg Day School, where he was rated as a top-five recruit and ranked as one of the top five players in the 2018 class.

In his senior season, he led his team to three straight state championships and was named Mr. Basketball in South Carolina.

Williamson descended on high school as a McDonald's All-American, runner-up for Mr. Basketball USA, and USA Today's first team honoree.

He attracted national attention for his slam dunks in high school. Williamson was named ACC Athlete of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year in his first year with Duke.

In January 2019, he set the single-game school scoring record for freshman and earned AP Player of the Year, Sporting News College Player of the Year awards, and received the Wayman Tisdale Award.

Early life

Williamson was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. Williamson competed in soccer and in football's quarterback position. When he was five years old, he set out to become a college basketball star. Williamson began getting up every morning at 5 a.m. to board the train at age nine. He competed in youth leagues with his mother, Sharonda Sampson, and appeared for the Sumter Falcons on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, facing opponents four years older than him. Williamson then began training with his older brother, former college basketball player Lee Anderson, to develop his skills as a point guard. He joined the basketball team at Johnakin Middle School in Marion, South Carolina, where he was coached by his mother and averaged 20 points per game. Williamson, a middle school footballer, was a point guard and had only played three games in two years. He coached Johnakin to an 8–1 record and a conference champion in 2013.

Personal life

Williamson was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, to Lateef Williamson and Sharonda Sampson. Lateef, a football defensive lineman at Mayo High School in Darlington, South Carolina, was a High School All-American in 1993 and had attended NC State before heading to Livingstone College. Sampson, a sprinter at Livingstone, went on to teach middle school health and physical education. She named Williamson after the biblical location Mount Zion near Jerusalem, on her grandmother's suggestion that she name him something "extra special." Following the death of his maternal grandmother's infant mother, Williamson's family and his family migrated to Florence, South Carolina, when he reached two years old. By the time he was five years old, his parents divorced, and his mother later married Lee Anderson, a former Clemson college basketball player.

Williamson signed a five-year, $75 million shoe contract with Jordan Brand on July 23, 2019. Williamson's purchase is the second-largest rookie shoe deal in history, behind only LeBron James' $90 million rookie contract, which was signed in 2003.

During the 2019-20 NBA season, Williamson promised to pay for all the Smoothie King Center employees for 30 days, which was triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was one of many basketball players to assist the arena workers.

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High school career

Williamson attended Spartanburg Day School, a small K-12 private school in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he played basketball for the Griffins. He went from 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) to 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) between eighth and ninth grade. Williamson trained in the school gym and learned how to dunk in the summers leading up to his first season. He was also a member of Ja Morant's South Carolina Hornets AAU team at the time, where he was also teammates with Ja Morant. Williamson, a freshman, averaged 24.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.2 steals, and 3.0 blocks, earning All-State and All-Region accolades. He was also instrumental in Spartanburg Day's appearance at the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) state championship game appearance. Williamson appeared in the SCISA North-South All-Star Game in Sumter, South Carolina, in March 2015. He was 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) by his second year in high school. Williamson averaged 28.3 points, 10.4 blocks, 3.9 blocks, and 2.7 steals per game in his sophomore season, winning the SCISA Region I-2A Player of the Year award for his second year. He led the Griffins to their first SCISA Region I-2A award in program history. Williamson spent time in June 2016 at the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Top 100 Camp, where he was the country's top scorer. He won the Under Armour Elite 24 showcase dunk competition in New York City in August.

Williamson averaged 36.8 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game as a freshman. He was one of 50 players selected to the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award watch list as he entered the season. Williamson burst into the national spotlight thanks to his viral highlight videos starting in the 2016–17 season. In a victory over Cardinal Newman High School on November 15, 2016, he made his season debut on November 15, 2016, scoring 42 points and 16 rebounds. Stephen Curry's highlights earned him the respect of NBA player Stephen Curry in the same month. Williamson erupted for 50 points, with 10 dunks, as well as 16 rebounds and 5 blocks against Proviso East High School in the Tournament of Champions on November 24, 2010. In a 73-53 victory over Gray Collegiate Academy at the Chick-fil-A Classic on December 21, he recorded a tournament-record 53 points and 16 rebounds, shooting 25-of-28 from the field. Williamson, the Farm Bureau Insurance Classic's most valuable player (MVP) finished with 31 points and 14 rebounds on December 30, winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. After rapper Drake wore his jersey in an Instagram post on January 15, 2017, he received national attention.

Williamson surpassed the 2,000-point barrier on January 20, when he scored 48 points against Oakbrook Preparatory School. Spartanburg Day was held against Oakbrook Prep on February 14, winning by a game-high 37 points in a 105-49 victory. Williamson tied for most 30-point games in a season, with 27 of them ending in the regular season. He was named SCISA Player of the Year for the second year in a row. MaxPreps, a high school sports website, named him National Junior of the Year and to the High School All-American first team, while USA Today High School Sports named him All-USA first team recognition. Williamson's AAU team SC Supreme lost by 26 points and 7 rebounds on April 22, 2017 in a loss to highly regarded recruit Romeo Langford and Twenty Two Vision at an Adidas Gauntlet tournament. He appeared on the front page of basketball magazine Slam in June. Williamson, a highly televised AAU game on July 27, scored 28 points and led SC Supreme to a 104-92 victory over 2019 class recruit LaMelo Ball and Big Ballers at the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships. After averaging 22.5 points and 7.2 rebounds through six games in August, he was named MVP of the 2017 Adidas Nations camp.

Williamson averaged 36.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in his senior season. In a 70-62 loss to Christ School, he debuted on November 15, 2017, erupting for 46 points and 15 rebounds. In his home opener on November 21, he scored 29 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Griffins to a 70-55 victory over Hammond School. Williamson strained his left foot, which sidelined him for more than a month, during the game. "It's really been a time to grow physically," he said as recovering. In a 71–62 victory over Asheville Christian Academy, Williamson recovered from the injury on January 11, 2018. In a nationally broadcast game at the Hoophall Classic, he scored 36 points as his team lost to Chino Hills High School on January 13. Williamson's last home game on February 8, a 58-54 victory over Greensboro Day School, featured 30 points and 13 rebounds. While scoring his 3,000th career goal against Spartanburg Christian Academy in the SCISA Region I-2A tournament on February 17, he scored 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals. After scoring 38 points against Trinity Collegiate School one week later, Williamson guided Spartanburg Day to its third consecutive SCISA Region I-2A championship.

Williamson played in the 2018 McDonald's All-American Game, scoring 8 points in 17 minutes before leaving with a thumb injury. He also had to miss the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit in the upcoming month due to his injury. Williamson was selected to the USA Today All-USA first team and MaxPreps All-American second team for his 2017-18 high school seasons. Mr. Basketball also earned Mr. Basketball honors in South Carolina and was runner-up for Mr. Basketball USA.

When Williamson was a freshman in high school, he gave him his first college basketball scholarship. Williamson made his South Carolina Hornets AAU team one of the best players in his class in the summer of 2015. He received offers from 16 NCAA Division I programs, including Clemson, Florida, and South Carolina, by the end of his sophomore year, but he wasn't planning to make a decision until his senior year. Williamson received the most attention in the summer of 2016, from Clemson, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Duke offered him a scholarship on August 30, 2016. Williamson was also offered a football scholarship by Eric Mateos, a LSU tight ends coach, but he didn't appear sincerely. He was rated the best player in the 2018 class by recruiting firm 247Sports during his junior season. Williamson was named as "probably the best player in terms of development" in his class in December 2016. Most recruiting consultants expected that he would play for Clemson by 2018.

Williamson committed to Duke in a live ESPN telecast on January 20, 2018. "Duke stood out because the brotherhood represents a family," he said. (Mike Krzyzewski) is just the most legendary coach to ever teach college basketball. I feel like going to Duke University; I'll learn a lot from him." Duke, who had landed RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish in lieu of Williamson, became the first team to land the top three recruits in a class since modern recruiting rankings were established. Clemson's stepfather, Lee Anderson, remarked that the team lost a "mile-and-a-half lead" in recruiting Williamson.

College career

Williamson played in a preseason game against Duke University Ryerson on August 15, 2018, defeating Canadian university Ryerson by 86–67, with a double-double of 29 points and 13 rebounds and shooting 3-of-4 from three-point range. He was named on the pre-season watch lists for the Karl Malone Award, Naismith Trophy, and the John R. Wooden Award. Williamson scored 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting in 23 minutes in his first regular season game with Duke, beating Kentucky 118-84 in the Champions Classic on November 6. RJ Barrett and his buddy BrJ Barrett all broke the Duke freshman scoring record set by Marvin Bagley III in the game. Williamson tallied 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks in his 94–72 victory over Army. He became the second player in school history to score at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a game. Williamson was later named both player and freshman of the week in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

He had another good show against Clemson on January 5, 2019, with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and a 360-degree dunk in 22 minutes. For the second time in Williamson's second days, he was named ACC Freshman of the Week. In an 87-65 victory over Wake Forest, he had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. He was poked in the left eye by an opposing player against the second half of the game on January 12, but missed the remainder of the game. Williamson returned to Duke for 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the Duke's next game, a 95-91 overtime loss to Syracuse. He tied for single-game points held by Marvin Bagley III and JJ Redick, beating the Duke freshman record for single-game points set by Marvin Bagley III and JJ Redick. Williamson earned his third ACC Freshman of the Week award on January 21, his third in a row. In an 81-63 victory over Notre Dame, he scored 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Williamson set a new Duke freshman record by winning nine 25-point games in the season. In a 91–61 victory over St. John's, he led all scorers with 29 points and 5 steals. Williamson was named ACC Freshman of the Week on his fourth occasion, while receiving the Naismith Trophy's National Player of the Week award. In a 94-78 victory over NC State, he had his third 30-point game of the season on February 16, scoring 32 points. He earned his second ACC Player of the Week and his fifth ACC Freshman of the Week awards for his second week.

Williamson suffered a Grade 1 knee sprain 36 seconds into the game against North Carolina in February 20 because his foot toppled through his Nike shoe, causing him to stumble. He did not return to the game, which Duke lost 88–72. As a result of the crash, Nike's value dropped by $1.1 billion the following day. Duke declared Williamson was "day-to-day" the day after the accident. Williamson's case prompted him to drop playing basketball at the college level because he had already established himself as the best 2019 NBA draft player. In addition, the injury sparked more criticism of the NCAA for not paying student athletes. In the regular season, he was held out of his team's last six games. Williamson received Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards in the ACC, naming former Duke players Jahlil Okafor and Marvin Bagley III as the only recipients of both awards when the regular season ended. Williamson was also named ACC Athlete of the Year, becoming the 10th Duke player to win the award. He has also served on the ACC All-Defensive and All-Freshman teams. Williamson has been named as the Year's Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year by Sporting News. In an 84–72 victory over Syracuse in the ACC tournament's quarterfinals, he recovered from injury on March 14, with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 steals. He shot 13-of-13 from the field, giving the best shooting results in school and tournament history, while tying the best in ACC history. Williamson was also the first Duke player to score at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in a game since Christian Laettner in 1992. Duke defeated North Carolina, 773-73, on the next day, with 31 points, including the game-winner. Williamson was named ACC Tournament MVP after scoring 21 points in a 73-63 victory over Florida State in the championship game, making him the sixth freshman to receive the award.

Williamson was captured throughout the tournament by CBS' official broadcast partner CBS, the "Zion Cam." In an 85-62 victory over 16th-seeded North Dakota State, he scored 25 points in his NCAA Tournament debut on March 22. In a 77–76 victory over UCF, Williamson exploded for 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. In an NCAA Tournament game, he was the first player in school history to score at least 25 points, ten rebounds, and 4 assists. In a season-ending 68-67 loss to Michigan State in the Elite 8 on March 31, Williamson led all scorers with 24 points and 14 rebounds. He averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game in his first season. He shot 68% from the field, finishing second in the NCAA Division I and the highest field goal percentage by a freshman. In addition, Williamson joined Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis as the only freshmen to collect 500 points, 50 steals, and 50 blocks in a season.

Williamson declared his draft status on April 15, 2019. Williamson's stepfather, Lee Anderson, was ecstatic that he would return to Duke for a second year after the New Orleans Pelicans won the 2019 NBA draft lottery, and denied rumors that he would return to Duke for a second year, adding, "As far as returning to Duke, that's not something we've ever considered."

Professional career

Williamson was the first pick in the 2019 NBA draft on June 20, 2019. Williamson officially signed with the Pelicans on July 1, 2019. Williamson tore his meniscus in October 13, 2019, during his rookie campaign's preseason. Williamson made his professional debut three months later in a 121-117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on January 22, 2020. During the fourth quarter, he played 18 minutes and 7 rebounds, totaling 17 points in 3:08 minutes.

Williamson scored at least 20 points in four games in his first eight games, the longest streak in the Pelicans franchise history; he also tied the longest streak in all rookies; tying for the seventh-most among all rookies (fellow rookie Ja Morant had the most with 192). He led the Pelicans to a 115–101 victory over the Golden State Warriors on February 24, the Pelicans' 115-101 victory. Williamson was just one game behind Carmelo Anthony for the most consecutive 20-point games as a teenager, with 28 points on 13/20 shooting in a season-high 33 minutes of play. In ten straight games, he will be the first teenager in NBA history to score at least 20 points in ten consecutive games. In a 122–114 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 1, Williamson scored a career-high 35 points as well as 7 rebounds.

Williamson finished his rookie season on 58.3 percent shooting from the floor, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He came in first among all rookies in points per game, second in rebounds per game, and first in offensive rebounds per game. He was the first rookie since Michael Jordan to post 16 20-point games in their first 20 games, as well as the highest scoring average in his first 24 NBA games since 1983. Williamson was accepted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team on September 15, 2009.

Williamson scored a new career high 36 points in a 143-130 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on February 12, 2021; he finished the game on 14/15 shooting, making him the youngest player in NBA history with 30 points on 90 percent shooting. Williamson was chosen in his first NBA All-Star Game on February 23, 2021. Williamson also scored 30 points and 6 rebounds in a 113-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets on March 21, 2021.

Williamson tied for the longest streak of at least 20 percent shootings in his first two seasons since the gun clock era in 1954-1955. The streak extended to 25 games in a row, surpassing Hall-of-Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Karl Malone while tying Shaquille O'Neal's record of 25 consecutive games since the three-point era in 1980; his streak of 20-point games on 50% shooting and trying to beat O'Neal's record ended in a 139–111 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on April 7.

Williamson sustained a Jones fracture in his right foot during the off-season and underwent additional surgery. Team officials were hopeful that he would be back in late-September by the time of the season. The date of his predicted return was postponed until December by mid-October. It was announced in mid-December that the injury was slow to heal and that he would most likely be out for another four to six weeks, as a result of the all-star break. Williamson would not play that season in mid-March.

On July 6, 2022 Williamson signed a five-year rookie contract with the New Orleans Pelicans worth $193 million if he makes an All-NBA squad in the 2022-2023 season.

Williamson returned from injury on October 4, 2022, putting up 13 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in a 129-125 victory over the Chicago Bulls. In a 130-108 win over the Brooklyn Nets on October 19, Williamson made his regular season return by posting 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and four steals.

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