As a sign of respect, Duke standout Zion Williamson declined to sit at Kristaps Porzingis' stall during a visit to the New York Knicks' locker room.
Williamson, Duke's standout forward who is projected to be taken in the top five of the 2019 NBA Draft, made his Madison Square Garden debut in a 69-58 victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday night. Williamson fouled out with under four minutes to go, but he still had a solid outing, tallying 17 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes. As you might expect, loads of NBA executives were on hand, as were several Knicks players.
Following the game, Williamson and his teammates made their way to the Knicks locker room to field a few questions from the media. That's when the 18-year-old was asked about his choice of seating:
“He’s a very incredible player,” Williamson told the New York Daily News, referring to Porzingis. “I’m just trying to be the best, and if I’m trying to get to that level, I’ve got a long way to go.
“A lot of respect, that’s why I didn’t sit at his locker.”
Williamson would be a fine addition any team, to be sure. When asked if he would like to play for the Knicks in particular, though, the former South Carolina Mr. Basketball gave an enthusiastic reply:
“Forty-one games at the Garden, I mean, it would probably be incredible,” Williamson said of playing his home games at Madison Square Garden.
“This is the Garden,” Williamson added. “A lot of greats have come through here. My favorite great to come through here was probably Bernard King because my stepdad talked about him a lot how he just put the ball in the basket. … I had to go watch his highlights. He could really score the basketball. He was incredible how he did it.
“Playing 41 games here wouldn't be so bad.”
In his 12 appearances with the Blue Devils this season, Williamson has racked up averages of 19.8 points on 65.2 percent shooting from the field, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.9 blocks in 26.2 minutes per outing.
Whether or not the Knicks will be able to land Williamson in the coming draft remains to be seen, but it sounds like he's open to the idea.
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