[146] Subsequently, Williamson sat out the Pelicans appearance in their play-in game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which New Orleans lost, effectively ending their season. As Zion Williamson prepares to enter the 2019 NBA draft after a historic season at Duke, players and coaches from Spartanburg Day High School recollect Zion's rise to stardom in the small town of . On the fly, Ja recognized how they were playing that pin-down action. "[163] Williamson has the ability to defend multiple positions well due to his speed and length, although his defensive effort has been questioned. Standing a little over 6-foot-3, Asa Waters isn't exactly tiny. Watch this video from ONE GAME and drool", "John Wall: Zion Williamson Is Top 23 'Most Athletic Player I've Ever Seen', "YouTube star Zion Williamson creates challenge for evaluators", "Zion Williamson Scouting: How does the freakishly athletic HS forward project to the NBA? ", "Prospect Report: Zion Williamson Of Duke", "One of nation's top basketball recruits resides in Spartanburg, says Coach K offered scholarship", "Zion Williamson Signs Multiyear Deal With Jordan Brand", "Report: Zion's shoe deal worth $75 million over five years", "Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson among stars aiding arena workers", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zion_Williamson&oldid=1149842621. "I think by his sophomore year, we knew that it was getting bigger than any of us could imagine. Zion Williamson combines strength, athleticism and intelligence in an awesome package. Kane connected, and within essentially a week's time, McMahon offered Morant a scholarship in the parking lot after a tournament in Greensboro. The writing, clear and artful, conveys a level of earnestness that echoes Pell's description of his former student's poetry. Kane showed up on a Wednesday in Spartanburg for a ragtag AAU combine of sorts. He was one of several basketball players to help the arena workers. 2 sneaker even before Harden, who . He was ranked as the number two basketball player in the high school class of 2018 by Scout.com. In high school, he drew national attention for his slam dunks . Title", "Williamson Voted ACC Male Athlete of the Year", "ACC 2019 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team, Postseason Awards", "Duke's Zion Williamson is Sporting News Player, Freshman of the Year", "Zion Williamson Returns in Style, Leading Duke to Victory Over Syracuse", "Duke University Men's Basketball Postgame Notes March 14, 2019 vs. Syracuse (ACC Tournament Quarterfinals)", "Duke remains No. Sartor remembers sending a video of one of Williamson's early in-game yams to ESPN, then marveling at the ripple effect. [166] She named Williamson after the biblical location Mount Zion near Jerusalem, taking her grandmother's advice to name him "something extra special. "He was recruited.". Williamson wrote SLAM's high school diary in 2017-18, went away to play college basketball at Duke, nearly precipitated the . [130], During the off-season, Williamson suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot and underwent a subsequent surgery. [5][166] Sampson was a sprinter at Livingstone and became a middle school health and physical education teacher. [102] In his NCAA Tournament debut on March 22, he scored 25 points in an 8562 win over 16th-seeded North Dakota State. There has never been a major hype for a high school player since 2003 when LeBron James burst onto the scene. Sitting inside the gym, with its 1,000-person capacity, it's hard to imagine the larger-than-life Williamson rumbling down the court. [134], On July 6, 2022, Williamson signed a 5-year rookie extension with the New Orleans Pelicans worth $193 million guaranteed, increasing to $231 million if he makes an All-NBA team in the 20222023 season. Zion Williamson PF #1 Current Team: New Orleans Pelicans Born: Jul 6, 2000 (22 years old) Birthplace/Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina Nationality: United States Height: 6-6 (198cm) Weight: 284 (129kg) @ZionW32 Current NBA Status: Under Contract (New Orleans Pelicans) Free Agent: UFA-2028 Agent: Austin Brown Draft Entry: 2019 NBA Draft [139] On December 12, Williamson was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 8 (December 511), his first NBA Player of the Week award. Zion Williamson: High School Career. [19] On November 24, Williamson erupted for 50 points, including 10 dunks, along with 16 rebounds and 5 blocks versus Proviso East High School at the Tournament of Champions. Place of birth: Salisbury, U.S. Zion Williamson High School Pos PF Height 6-6 Weight 275 Evaluation Timeline Prospect Info High School Spartanburg Day School City Spartanburg, SC Class 2018 Watch Highlights Player. It's 292nd, hitting just 31.2 percent of its triples, which is a 6-percent drop from a season ago. | Learn more about Warren Williamson's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile . [61], Williamson played in a preseason game for Duke on August 15, 2018, in an 8667 win over Canadian university Ryerson, recording a double-double of 29 points and 13 rebounds and shooting 3-of-4 from three-point range. [115] Williamson made his professional debut three months later on January 22, 2020 in a 121117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Alex O'Connell is Duke's most accurate 3-point shooter (37 percent), but he only plays 13 minutes per game. Good story for mid-major college hoops. The 2023 NBA Draft will take place on Jun. "[158] Williamson, who is left-handed, is almost ambidextrous. [25] On February 14, he led Spartanburg Day past Oakbrook Prep for their first SCISA Region I-2A title, chipping in a game-high 37 points in a 10549 rout. [66] In the game, he and teammate RJ Barrett each broke the Duke freshman debut scoring record set by Marvin Bagley III. With Williamson's Spartanburg Day School facing one of their rivals, an extremely undersized opponent named Bryson Bishop checks in and prepares to guard the future No. ", A faraway look crosses her face. When Sartor motioned him over to speak with the coach, Williamson exited the arena, walked outside and came in through a side door so he wouldn't attract extra attention. Kane wanders into the back gym, looking for grub. [26] He repeated as SCISA Region I-2A Player of the Year. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Twelve? A few more players to add to that: Carsen Edwards, Ja Morant, Coby White, C.J. Sometimes, he adds, people ask him for his former classmate's number. [101], For the 2019 NCAA tournament, official broadcast partner CBS specifically devoted a cameracalled the "Zion Cam"to record Williamson throughout the tournament. Zion Williamson played just 29 games through the entire 2022-23 NBA season New Orleans lost in the play-in to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night DailyMail.com provides all the latest . A final dunk he made in the last seconds of the game caused an altercation between the Pelicans and Suns. Read It: Adam Figman's cover story on 16-year-old Zion Williamson. Williamson, for his part, quickly developed a reputation as an unselfish player -- a characteristic, says Bui, that dates back to his high school days. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/Tfksxjc0fY. Skilled in Alcatel, MobileIron, LANDesk, System Deployment, and Sophos. [62] He was named to the preseason watch lists for the Karl Malone Award, Naismith Trophy, and John R. Wooden Award. Think about it: During his college career, when Williamson accrued single-moniker celebrity status -- his first name was as likely to be trending on Twitter on a random weeknight as any political issue or pet-friendly hashtag -- what did we really learn? [68] He became the second player in school history to record at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a game. Reaching 3,000 is such a rarity, yet here we have two guys ready to do it in the same season and within less than two weeks of each other. For services to education. Despite his weight issues, there was no doubt about Williamson going in as the 1st pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. [166] Lateef was a football defensive lineman at Mayo High School in Darlington, South Carolina, who was a High School All-American in 1993 and had committed to NC State before transferring to Livingstone College. He has been in a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Tiana White. At each player's respective pace, Clemons (29.2 points per game) should hit 3K on Feb. 21 in Campbell's home game vs. High Point. Just as troubling is Duke's free throw percentage. The two have remained friends. [6], Williamson attended Spartanburg Day School, a small K12 private school in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he played basketball for the Griffins. After one go-around, Williamson went on to the Adidas circuit while Morant stayed behind with the humble Hornets. We know he likes anime, because his mother revealed as much in a sideline interview (bloggers were thrilled). As a result, critics questioned whether the SportsCenter favorite, a raw shooter, could dominate tougher competition. When Williamson chose Duke, shocking locals who thought he'd end up at nearby Clemson, he joined one of the most star-studded recruiting classes in history. Then he started writing poems. As a miniature marching band plays, a kid wearing a mascot costume that looks like a fuzzy eagle with wings and a tail -- a mythical creature known as a griffin -- shimmies across the auditorium. ", "How could Clemson lose 'a mile-and-a-half lead' for Zion Williamson? Zion threw down a few dunks during his. On the court, Williamson was eager to entertain with 360-degree dunks and tomahawk jams. It made things a lot easier for other people," he says with a laugh. McMahon called Morant a "basketball genius" and told me his ability to see the floor and improvise plays separates him from the other college point guards. Before he took the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the Duke Blue Devils or made his NBA debut, Williamson made a mockery of high school competition. Accordingly, Zion suffered only three defeats in two years in middle school. [4][5], On July 23, 2019, Williamson signed a five-year, $75 million shoe deal with Jordan brand. As Williamson was set to enter his senior season of high school, according to sources, some within the brand had discussed having Williamson debut the Harden Vol. [5][7][162] Recruiting service 247Sports has praised his ball handling and passing skills for his size, commenting that they are "overshadowed by [his] athletic plays. Williamson also left high school as a McDonald's All-American, runner-up for Mr. Basketball USA, and USA Today All-USA first team honoree. [72] On January 12, against Florida State, he was poked in the left eye by an opposing player towards the second half and missed the remainder of the game. [120], Williamson finished his rookie season averaging 22.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting from the floor, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. The retired teacher declines to elaborate on the content of Williamson's poetry, aside from praising its structure and skill. We know he listens to Jay-Z, a preference that his young teammates have described, disturbingly to anyone born before 1990, as "old school." At the time, he competed for the South Carolina Hornets AAU team as well, where he was teammates with Ja Morant. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. That January, Drake posted a photograph of himself wearing a Spartanburg Day jersey; Williamson's Instagram following exploded. "), instead telling stories that paint a picture of an active, growing mind. [33], In his senior season, Williamson averaged 36.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. The Zion Williams net worth updates suggest that the star Zion Williamson had made an $8 million fortune. Morant stayed with the program throughout his high school years . CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegebasketball | pageType: stories | 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty . So, we had to ask: what was it like coaching Zion Williamson in high school? "But for me it's more the basketball IQ, the playmaking, the making people around him better. Kane was smitten and dumbfounded: Why is this kid not playing in the main gym, and who the hell is he? 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