The New York Knicks selected R.J. Barrett with the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Morant went to the Memphis Grizzlies, while Duke teammate Williamson was drafted first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans.
In an interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, Barrett shared a funny story about Williamson, as well as a very flattering comparison.
Q: What is your funniest Zion Williamson story?
A: I played that song called “Old Town Road,” and I was one of the first people to discover it. And I would play it, and him and everybody else on my team and everybody else that I knew were like, “Why are you playing that song, blah blah blah. Nobody likes it.” And then when it became famous, one day I just went into his room and I heard him playing the song and he knows all the words. That was funny to me.
That was just a setup for this comparison:
Q: How are you and Zion different?
A: His personality’s like a Magic Johnson-type. He’s really out there, he’s really patient with everything, he’s just a great, down-to-earth human being, and it’s amazing to see him around fans and stuff. I learned to be more like that from him. If I’m tired, I’m trying to still say hi to a fan or still talk to that person ’cause that one meeting with them can impact how they think of me for the rest of their life.
Whenever someone's compared to Magic Johnson for just about anything, it's probably a good thing. For Williamson, it's his personality.
Johnson's known for being an extremely positive person. Williamson apparently has a lot of that in him, and is always ready to make fans smile.
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