New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson revealed a nearly-made decision that would have changed the scope of the 2019 NBA Draft, telling teammate JJ Redick that he was “very close” to returning to Duke for a sophomore season and passing up on the opportunity to declare for the draft.
Zion Williamson gave a mature, thoughtful response to his fellow former Blue Devil, admitting it came down to the deadline to declare before he made his decision to forgo his eligibility and move on to the next level.
“It was like the deadline to declare. We had to say ‘okay, what are you gonna do? declare or not?” said Williamson as a guest in Redick's podcast with The Ringer. “Me, I wanted to go back. No one ever believes me, they think I'm just saying that, but no. I really wanted to go back.
I felt like the NBA wasn't going anywhere. The money thing… I don' play for the money. I play because I love the game. I just loved my experience at Duke that much to where I wanted to stay. But it was one of those situations where Coach K isn't gonna let me come back because he wants me to do what's best for the family. My teammate would've said it would be dope for me to come back, but at the same time they're telling me I would be leaving too much, I didn't work this long to get to that. It was tough.”
Williamson noted his mom helped him make that decision, citing that she would support Zion no matter what choice he made — yet ultimately his stepfather voiced similar opinions as his teammates, which only made the path clearer from then on.
Had Williamson not declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, he'd be dominating for Duke and likely leading the charge as the No. 1 college basketball standout. Ja Morant would have been the No. 1 draft pick, and the Pelicans would be operating in a completely different orbit this season.
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