Look at that photo of Zion standing next to LeBron in awe of him.
This kid has his head on straight. He already has superstardom written all over him and yet he is standing there next to The King taking in that moment that he cannot believe is happening to him.
Zion has his ego in the right place. What a cool young man.
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@Harvey agree great pic; in fact I just screenshotted it and sent it to my daughter, a huge NO and LA fan; fan of Lonzo and now Zion
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Love Zion and wish him the best. I also suffered a torn meniscus (same injury he sat out for) and it lead to problems down the line which worries me every time I see him come down from the stratosphere... Stay healthy Zion!
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He's almost 300lb's. He's so much bigger than all the other players.
Why hasn't a big man like Williamson been so successful before? Because 300lb's is too much weight to carry around a basketball court on an ongoing basis.
He'll either be rationed every single game to keep his playing time down, or he'll miss large parts of every season with injury.
Either way, a less skilled player who is more durable would perhaps offer better bang for your buck?
I'll be following his career with interest.
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Too bad that Zion had to waste a year playing for free at Duke. One and done needs to be done away with.
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For those of you who are not basketball fans, I want to make this clear, Zion Williamson is an incredible athlete that plays with great effort every time he is on the court. He is exciting to watch and his rotund size makes his ability to leap high in the sky even more amazing. Zion is a phenom because he is a good basketball player that plays hard and is humble. Yes, basketball fans and ex-players love seeing him play since we see how much joy he has at being the best at what he does. I admit it, when I see him travelling through the air to make a thunderous tomahawk dunk, I get goose bumps. He is that good.
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I'm astonished that the writer would find Zion's passing "surprisingly" good. Anyone who followed Williamson's year at Duke knows the man's passing is just as good as his scoring game. Look for many triple doubles over his career.
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Kudos to the photographer. That's a brilliant picture.
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Zion is a great post player with strength and agility. But his outside shooting is substandard and his defense is mediocre.
Zion’s inside game is just what the Pelicans needed — Holiday is a great point guard and their three point shooting is top notch. Zion’s post play has lifted the Pelicans immeasurably and can get them to the playoffs. But he’s got to work on his weaknesses and he’s got to lose weight before he can be a contender for being one of the game’s all time greats.
He is a force. One can draw comparisons to Shaq in terms of his size and strength, but Zion has a vertical like MJ.
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No one who followed his career at Duke should be surprised by his passing ability.
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I love basketball and am thankful for such players as Lebron James and Zion Williamson and only wait for more from each and fellow payers.
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If he remains healthy, which is a big if since he really looks like a miracle of nature (cue the appearance and playing style), he is going to come close to LeBron and be a symbol of NBA.
But, I suspect that 28 min per game or so is going to be his maximum not only this year. Better that than an injury and many months off, which his injuries are likely to entail.
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@ss And you predicate this injury riddle career base on what? A meniscus tear? His knee injury in college was a fluke do to a poorly designed and constructed shoe that was not able to support a 200# guard much less the someone of Zion size. So that injury doesn't count.
@ss I am guessing Williamson's body will continue to betray him. He is kind of a freak of nature. So much muscle and power. He reminds me of a weightlifter from the late fifties: Paul Anderson. His wrists just couldn't hold up lifting those enormous weights. I truly hope Zion's body holds up.
This coverage brings forth a long standing question of mine: What value is there in fandom?
Do we hope to have some abilities we don't already possess rub off on us by being in the presence of someone? Is there a value in being at a game with him playing, vs. watching it on TV?
I continue to be confused as to why, as it was said, every hotel, restaurant and so on, that people would want to see him?
I'm sorry that I'm not impressed by being in the same room with someone that makes it worth it to spend my time and money to be there. Does owning shoes or a jersey that someone else designed, manufactured and marketed but has a player's name on it, only due to transfer of money, make those things more valuable?
Whether this player or anyone else, sports or a political figure, movie star or singer, how does it carry value?
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@reid
Fun. It’s fun to be thrilled by a great athlete. Fun to be passionate about life.
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@reid Not everything of value is measured with an attached dollar sign.
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@reid
The value? I watch him or any other hard working phenomenon of nature that has put in the time to learn their craft and it makes me smile. You can enjoy Zion, LeBron, Steph, Picasso, DaVinci, Lincoln, MLK Jr., Shakespeare, Morrison, Coltrane, Davis—pick your favorite art and practitioner—from a Humanities perspective. Wow, look what the human race is capable of. It goes beyond commercialism, and no one is forcing you to participate in or endorse that aspect.
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Making the playoffs in the NBA is virtually meaningless...not only do half the teams qualify, but there are a number of teams that aren't even playing .500 ball in the playoffs!
In addition, in the past 70 years, virtually every winner (and loser) of the NBA championship has been in the top three of their conference...there just aren't upsets in the NBA. The few that were out were teams like Houston Rockets (6), but they had Akeem/Drexler and had won the previous year.
Reduce the playoff field by 50% and get rid of these games that are, IMHO, a pure money grab.
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@GCT Why? The playoffs are hugely exciting, and as a passionate basketball fan, I'm happy to see lots of cities participate in them. The fact that basketball lasts for so much of the year is a real plus, too. There's nothing like sitting down to watch a terrific game after a long, hard workday.
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@GCT ask Knick fans if making the playoffs is meaningless
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@Gene99
The who?
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Great player with a bright future. But how about some more coverage of the best team in the NBA (Bucks) who just recorded their 50th win, clinched a very early playoff spot and took apart a good Toronto team after playing 3 games in 4 days on the road?
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@Graydog The Bucks are pretty much the same time as last year, when they came up shy. The story in Milwaukee is that Giannis is now the best player in the league. If you haven’t read a bunch of stories about that, you aren’t paying attention.