Zion Williamson

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Lore & Background

Williamson attended Spartanburg Day School, where he was a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked among the top five players in the 2018 class. He led his team to three straight state championships and earned South Carolina Mr. Basketball recognition in his senior season. Williamson also left high school as a McDonald's All-American, runner-up for Mr. Basketball USA, and USA Today All-USA first team honoree. In high school, he drew national attention for his slam dunks. In his freshman and only season with Duke, Williamson was named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year. He set the single-game school scoring record for freshmen in January 2019, claimed ACC Rookie of the Week accolades five times, earned AP Player of the Year, Sporting News College Player of the Year recognition, and won the Wayman Tisdale Award.

In Their Own Story

On November 6, 2018, in his first regular season game with Duke, Williamson scored 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting in 23 minutes in a 118–84 win over Kentucky at the Champions Classic. In that game, he and teammate RJ Barrett each broke the Duke freshman debut scoring record set by Marvin Bagley III. In his following game, a 94–72 victory over Army, Williamson tallied 27 points, 16 rebounds, and six blocks. He became the second player in school history to record at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a game. On January 12, against Florida State, he was poked in the left eye by an opposing player towards the second half and missed the remainder of the game. Williamson returned in Duke's next game, a 95–91 overtime loss to Syracuse, and erupted for 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He eclipsed the Duke freshman record for single-game points previously held by Marvin Bagley III and JJ Redick.

Reader's Guide

Zion Williamson's career milestones are defined by rapid ascent and early accolades. | Milestone | Detail | |---|---| | NBA Draft | Selected 1st overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 | | NBA All-Rookie First Team | 2020 | | NBA All-Star Selection | 2021 (fourth youngest ever) |

In his freshman season at Duke, Williamson set the single-game school scoring record for freshmen in January 2019. He was named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year. He also earned AP Player of the Year, Sporting News College Player of the Year, and won the Wayman Tisdale Award. In high school, Williamson averaged 36.8 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game as a junior, and 36.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a senior. He led Spartanburg Day School to three straight state championships.

Did You Know?

• Williamson was named after the biblical location Mount Zion near Jerusalem, on his grandmother's advice to name him 'something extra special.'
• At age nine, Williamson began waking up every morning at 5 a.m. to train.
• In middle school, Williamson was a point guard and lost only three games in two years.
• Williamson's stepfather, Lee Anderson, is a former Clemson college basketball player.
• In high school, Williamson once posted a tournament-record 53 points and 16 rebounds in a 73–53 victory over Gray Collegiate Academy.