Zion Williamson

Background

Zion Lateef Williamson is a professional basketball player who is one of the youngest to have been selected for the N.B.A. He quickly became one of the most noticed basketball players with his incredible dunking highlights on social media. While in high school, he was nicknamed ‘South Carolina Mr. Basketball.’ He was born in North Carolina to Lateef Williamson and Sharonda Sampson. His mother named him after the famous Mount Zion, near Jerusalem. Williamson has had his eyes on being a college basketball star since the age of five. He began training every morning at 5. a.m. He joined the basketball team at Spartanburg Day School and led them to a state championship game appearance.

Williamson’s basketball career began professionally in college, where he was offered scholarships from a couple of recruiting schools. In his junior season, he was ranked the number-one player by recruiting service 247sports for the 2018 class. In 2018, he chose to go to Duke University because he felt it represented the family. During that same year, he played a preseason game for Duke against Canadian University Ryerson and had a 86 — 67 win. After wins and losses at Duke, he became the first player to earn at least 10 rebounds, 25 points, and four assists in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.) Tournament. In 2018, he won several awards: Jordan Brand Classic, The Nike Hoop Summit, and McDonald’s All-American. In 2019, he signed a five-year shoe deal with Jordan worth $75 million. That same year, Williamson was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 N.B.A. Draft. He also won a couple of awards in 2019, which include A.C.C. Player of The Year, A.C.C. Tournament M.V.P., and the Karl Malone Award. In 2021, Williamson made history in his career by scoring 36 points in a 143 — 130 win against the Dallas Mavericks, making him the youngest N.B.A. player with a 90% shooting rate.

Williamson is genuinely a basketball sweetheart. In 2020, he pledged to pay the salaries of all those employed by Smoothie King Center for 30 days. During the off-season, he fractured his foot and had to undergo surgery.