Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin was dancing, practically gliding around the NBA Draft Lottery back in 2019. The new head of the New Orleans Pelicans was already working a deal that would add a haul of draft assets and Brandon Ingram to the roster in place of Anthony Davis. Griffin was celebrating the lottery odds and ping-pong balls bouncing into place for the franchise to land another generational talent. Zion Williamson of Duke basketball was coming to the Crescent City.
Williamson's time at Duke was borderline magical. The impressive dunk and other-worldly athleticism drew in more than just ticket scalpers and NBA scouts. President Barack Obama was in attendance to watch one of Williamson's most iconic, and Nike's most infamous, moments. The powerful teenager planted, changed direction, and blew out a pair of Nike PG 2.5s in the first 33 seconds of a game.
Those defective shoes cost the college basketball world to miss out on Zion's only regular season matchup against North Carolina in Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was such a sporting travesty that the shoe giant's stock took a dip. Williamson's 28-point season-opening explosion versus Kentucky had drummed up the anticipation to those uncharted levels.
Williamson's highlights dominated ACC action. De'Andre Hunter (Virginia) thought he had an open corner 3-pointer. Williamson sent that shot into stands to become a souvenir. A 360-dunk by Williamson went around-the-world viral before the win over Clemson was in the books.
The UNC Tar Heels had to wait their turn but Williamson's 31-point, 11-rebound performance in the ACC Tournament was well worth the patience for basketball fans. Williamson was near-perfect for the entire tournament week, including a 13-for-13 performance in a win over Syracuse. Duke won their 21st ACC Tournament Title and Williamson the leading scorer in every tournament game, was poised to take over March Madness.
Zion Williamson's big March Madness ‘What If'
North Dakota State, a 16 seed, never stood a chance. The Bison kept things interesting until halftime but then Williamson took over. Duke's website ran with “breathtaking dribble-behind-his-back-after-chasing-down-his-own-steal layup” as a descriptor for one second-half bucket.
The University of Central Florida, with 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall put a scare in the Blue Devils. Still, Duke's one-point second-round win was worth every penny. Williamson's whirling dervish and-one layup that fouled out Fall was a proper ending to one of the more unique matchups of NCAA history. The Sweet 16 win over Virginia Tech had analysts asking ‘Who turned the gravity off?‘ after another Williamson highlight.
Williamson posted 24 points and 14 rebounds but Duke fell one point short of the 2019 Final Four however. Michigan State's 68-67 win over Duke in the Elite Eight ended one of the most watched, closely followed college careers in NCAA history.
Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski became the NCAA's all-time leader for wins while Williamson was enrolled. Krzyzewski would reach only one more Final Four (2022) before retiring, however, losing to UNC in the semifinals. Williamson and Krzyzewski had to watch Virginia, a team Duke beat twice already, take home the 2019 NCAA title.
There are a lot of ‘what ifs' in Williamson's career so far, but perhaps the biggest is what if Duke gets past Tom Izzo in the Elite Eight? Could anyone in the Final Four have stopped Williamson on the biggest stage? It'll never be known but those Duke-era dunks by Williamson will also never be forgotten. He provided some of the most electric, entertaining nights of college hoops since the first peach basket was replaced with a rim.
Williamson's time with Duke is perhaps summed up best by an old saying: don't be sad it's over, be happy it happened. Everyone outside of Durham, North Carolina can live with that outcome.
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