Even before he was selected first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson was already a household name. His global popularity was reminiscent of a young LeBron James during his days with St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. Nonetheless, there are still probably a few things that you don't know about this 19-year-old phenom. Below we've rounded up some of the most little known facts about a guy that is touted to be the NBA's next generational superstar.
The Origin of “Zion”
According to Willamson's mother, the name “Zion” has from Biblical origins.
“When I was pregnant, my grandmother kept telling me he is going to be extra special, so when you go look for a name for him, look for something extra special,” Sampson said, via Lou Bezjak of The State. “Flipping through the Bible and Zion just caught me. Now, he is so big he looks like a Mount Zion.”
As for his second name, Lateef, is actually the name of a god in Islam. Although it is not common to combine Christian and Muslim names, there's no denying that Zion Williamson is the owner of a very holy name.
Growth Spurt
Believe it or not, Williamson wasn't always possess the burly figure he has today. As a mater of fact, he was not the tallest kid growing up. This being the case, Zion actually played point guard as a kid. This allowed him to focus on his guard skills — shooting, passing, dribbling, etc — which is obviously a huge asset for him today.
It was in high school when Zion experienced a growth spurt like no other. According to reports, he gained no less than a hundred pounds in the span of two years. Between his freshman and junior years, Williamson also grew from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-7.
Zion Williamson and Nike
We have a bit of a double-whammy here with regards to Zion's relationship with Nike.
We all know that signed with the giant sporting brand way before his NBA days, but what a few people know is that Willaimson's mom, Sahronda Sampson, was once accused of taking bribes from Nike. According to reports, Zion's camp had taken money in exchange for his commitment to Duke. This was never proven, though.
During his time at Duke, there was one game when Zion's Nike shoe — a Paul George 2.5 — exploded during one play. This resulted in a minor injury for Williamson, but the effect on Nike were much more severe. It came to the tune of a $3 billion drop in stocks soon after. The fact that Williamson was spotted in Adidas gear after the incident predictably caused a further ruckus. What was he thinking?
Zion Williamson and Ja Morant
After Zion went to the Pelicans during the draft, it was Ja Morant who got picked second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. These two players have the makings of a great individual rivalry in the near future with their careers destined to run parallel each other.
There was a time, however, that these two players were on the same team. This happened even before both were in high school, as they were selected to play for AAU basketball outfit, the South Carolina Hornets. While it was a short-lived stint, it still doesn't take away from the fact that these two once played as teammates.
Zion the Football Star
Aside from their unbridled popularity as kids, another thing that Williamson shares with LeBron James is that they were both almost football stars. For his part, Zion was actually offered a football scholarship with LSU to play tight end. Zion made the right choice by picking basketball, but it's just fun to imagine what he would have done on the football field with his freakish athleticism. Oh what could have been.
Lottery Pick
At this point, its hard to imagine that any team would have passed on Zion as the first overall pick. However, prior to his Duke days, Williamson was not actually considered as the top talent of his class. As a matter of fact, his former Duke teammates, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish, were ranked even higher than him. This was according to some of the most reliable sports ranking sources, including ESPN who once had him at No. 2.
We all know how that turned out, though, and right now, it would be considered a mortal sin if the Pelicans opted to take someone else first overall in 2019. Morant has tremendous potential himself, but as for Barrett and Reddish, it's just unimaginable that any team would pick either of them over Zion.
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