Like most five year olds, Zion Williamson dreamed of being a professional basketball player and starring in the NBA. His hard work, sheer size and immense talent helped shape him into the player he is today. But he may not have gotten to his status as a household name without his mother Sharonda Sampson pushing him to succeed.
In an interview published on NBA's Twitter account in April, Williamson had this to say about Sampson:
“My mom to this day is the hardest coach I've ever had. There were times when my stepdad would look at me and say ‘you had a good game' and my mom would be like ‘I don't know what you're talking about, you had two or three turnovers.”
Williamson comes from an impressive duo of athletes, as Sampson was a collegiate track star and Lateef Williamson, Zion's biological father, played college football.
After her collegiate track years, Sampson went on to become a middle school health and physical education instructor. She coached her son in every youth basketball league he ever played in.
Williamson was surrounded by fellow athletes for his entire childhood. By the time he was five years old, his parents were separated, and his mother married Lee Anderson, a collegiate basketball player. Sampson and Anderson helped push Williamson, as they woke up with him at 5:30 a.m. to head to a nearby outdoor court and help him practice.
All that hard work started to pay off in high school when Williamson became an internet sensation for his mixtapes featuring ferocious dunks. He gained so much notoriety that rapper Drake, one of the most listened-to artists in the world, got his hands on one of Williamson's high school jerseys and posted himself wearing it on Instagram.
Most high school kids who see one of the biggest rappers in the world sporting their jersey might get an inflated ego and stop working as hard, but Williamson was not most kids, and his mother helped shape him into the man he is today.
Sampson coached his youth basketball games. She was there embracing him shortly after he sprained his knee in the infamous Duke-UNC game. And she was right by his side when he got drafted first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans.
While a first name like “Zion” is almost custom-tailored for stardom, the name has a more humble origin. While she was pregnant, Sampson's grandmother had told her to look for a name that was “extra special.”
Flipping through the bible one day, the words “Mount Zion” seemed to jump out at her. Mount Zion refers to one of the biggest mountains in Jerusalem, as it is one of the most important locations in both the Old and New Testaments.
The name feels more than appropriate these days, being that Williamson is a larger-than-life star who could see his fame reach a high peak just like that mountain.
Sampson helped to build that mountain, as when it comes to both literal size and compassion for the community, Zion has more than most. When the NBA shut down more than three months, he pledged to pay the salaries of the hourly workers at the Pelicans' home arena, the Smoothie King center, for 30 days to help them get back on their feet. That kindness and maturity comes from lessons passed down from Sampson.
“I wouldn't be here without my mom … I did it 'cause it's what my mom taught me. I feel like it was the least I could do and to just show the community that I'm with them.”
It's clear that Sampson's support has had more than just a small hand in Williamson's success.
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