Zion Williamson is a basketball player from North Carolina. He plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted into the NBA by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019.
In 2020, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He is noted for being the 4th youngest player in the NBA to have been selected to play in an All-Star game in 2021. He would be named an NBA All-Star again in 2023.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Zion Lateef Williamson was born on July 6, 2000, in Salisbury, North Carolina. He stands 198 cm and his last listed weight is 129 kilograms. He plays the position of power forward and he is a left-handed player.
| Team |
New Orleans Pelicans
|
| Position | Power Forward |
| Height / weight | 1.98 m / 129 kg |
| Born | 6 Jul 2000 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Playing Style | Left Handed |
| Nickname | Zanos |
| Team History | |
|
New Orleans
|
2019 - present |
He is known for his agility and speed, despite his heavier weight. He was once referred to by Kevin Durant as a “once-in-a-generation type player”. He mostly plays power forward but he also plays small-ball center.
High School and College Career
He attended the Spartanburg Day School. By the time he was in his second year, he was already over 6 feet tall. He helped lead his team to state championships. In 2016, he played in the National Basketball Association Top 100 camp.
He received a number of College offers by the time he was a senior in high school. He ended up playing for Duke University. He was recruited by Duke alongside Cam Reddish and RJ Bareet.
He played with Duke from 2018 to 2019. While there, he was named ACC Player of the Year. He also received the Karl Malone Award. He was also named the National College Player.
NBA Career
Williamson declared for the NBA in 2019 and was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans. He was signed by the team in July 2019 but he did not debut until January 2020 because he tore his meniscus in October 2019.
In 2020, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He scored a career-high score of 26 in February 2021 against the Dallas Mavericks. In 2021, he was named an NBA All-Star.
He missed all of the 2021-22 season due to a foot injury, yet he signed a five-year rookie extension in July 2022 worth $ 193 million.
In 2023, he was again named an NBA All-Star but he was replaced by Anthony Edwards because he had suffered a hamstring injury.
Career Highlights
- 2021, 2023 - NBA All-Star
- 2020 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 2019 - National college player of the year
- 2019 - Consensus first-team All-American
- 2019 - Wayman Tisdale Award
- 2019 - Karl Malone Award
- 2019 - NABC Freshman of the Year
- 2019 - ACC Athlete of the Year
- 2019 - ACC Player of the Year
- 2019 - First-team All-ACC
- 2019 - ACC Rookie of the Year
- 2019 - ACC All-Freshman team
- 2019 - ACC tournament MVP
- 2018 - McDonald’s All-American
- 2018 - South Carolina Mr. Basketball
