Zion Williamson: 10 things to know

After an impressive season at Duke University, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 Draft, Zion Williamson, has taken his to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Here’s a look at 10 things to know about New Orleans’ superstar big man, his life and his NBA career.

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Mount Zion at birth: Williamson was born on July 6, 2000, in Salisbury, N.C. The son of two collegiate athletes, his family decided to name him after Mount Zion, which was believed to be the highest point in ancient Jerusalem. Little did they know how apt this name would become for the future No. 1 draft pick.

Motivated since kindergarten: Williamson was clear about his basketball goals from an early age. At 5 years old, Williamson told his mother he wanted to play college basketball and be the No. 1 player in the country. His family took his goals seriously and started to help him develop his skills. Williamson was the only 5-year-old on an AAU team for 9-year-olds. And by the time Williamson was nine, he was waking up at 5 a.m. for workouts. Throughout it all, his parents were eager to help him grow his game.

All in the family: Williamson’s mother, Sharonda Sampson, was his first basketball coach throughout numerous youth leagues. After divorcing her husband when Williamson was five, she remarried a few years later to Lee Anderson, who was experienced in youth basketball development and played collegiately at Clemson and Columbus (Ga.) State. With expert guidance from his mother and step-father, Williamson had all the tools he needed to develop his skills throughout childhood.

Point guard origins: Williamson was rarely the largest player on his youth teams, so his parents focused on developing his point guard skills. This extra work on ball handling, passing and court vision proved beneficial for Williamson. Especially after he grew from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-6 between the 8th and 10th grade. This growth spurt transformed Williamson from an above-average, hard-working player into a once-in-a-generation talent.

A viral high school sensation: After a solid freshman season at Spartanburg, Williamson took his game to another level during his final three seasons there. He averaged 36.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game his junior year and scored 51 points in the state title game as he led the Griffins to the second of three straight state championships. It was the highlight dunks during that 2016-17 season to catch the world’s attention, making his games must-see events. One particular 360-degree dunk led SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays on ESPN and propelled the 16-year-old Williamson to stardom on social media. The clip generated nearly 500,000 views in five days.

Zion Williamson threw down an NBA Dunk Contest-worthy slam.

Oh, and he's in high school. pic.twitter.com/2fXtcP5V8W

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 14, 2017

Best since MJ?: Williamson finished his high school career in 2018 as one of the most accomplished prep basketball players in South Carolina history. He won three state championships, scored more than 50 points on numerous occasions and took home South Carolina’s Mr. Basketball honors after his senior season. The hype around Williamson was enough for North Carolina coach Roy Williams to tell Williamson during his junior year that he was, “one of the best high school players he'[d] seen since Michael Jordan.” Despite the attention, some still wondered if Williamson would be able to dominate at the next level.

Thanks for stopping by @UNC_Basketball pic.twitter.com/DMDZ5bigYY

— Zion Williamson (@Zionwilliamson) September 10, 2016

Duke wins the chase: Williamson received his first collegiate basketball offer from Wofford College when he was a freshman in high school. That began an avalanche of offers for Williamson before he decided to join Duke University during a televised special on Jan. 20, 2018. With Williamson set to join fellow top prospects RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish, Duke became the first school since prep ranking began to land the top three recruits in a single class.

Thanks for coach K and Duke basketball for coming to visit pic.twitter.com/4PJD39Lp2L

— Zion Williamson (@Zionwilliamson) September 23, 2016

Big Easy-bound: After an electrifying season at Duke ended in disappointment during the NCAA Tournament, Williamson announced his intentions to declare for the 2019 Draft. Williamson was the clear No. 1 prospect and it all came down to the Draft Lottery to determine where he would start his career. Luck shined on the New Orleans Pelicans, who defied the odds to land the No. 1 overall pick (and it was hard for them to control their excitement). Less than one month later, the people of New Orleans welcomed Williamson in to the NBA world.

New Orleans welcomes Zion! #PelicansDraft pic.twitter.com/jzgUjkrDnB

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) June 21, 2019

Quite a start to his career: To say Williamson impacted the Pelicans in his debut season of 2019-20 is to sorely understate things. He  averaged 22.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 2.1 apg while shooting 58.3% to earn All-Rookie first team honors and finished third in Kia Rookie of the Year voting despite playing in just 24 games. He became the fourth rookie in New Orleans history to get All-Rookie first team honors, joining Chris Paul, Darren Collison, Marcus Thornton and Anthony Davis. In his second NBA season, Williamson was named an All-Star. At 20, he was the 10th player in NBA history to garner All-Star honors by that age, joining Davis, Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson. He became the fourth-youngest player to make an All-Star Game behind Bryant, James and Johnson.

Like Mike … again: Williamson entered the league as one of the most well-known rookies since LeBron James in 2003. With more than 4 million followers on Instagram, Williamson boasts global name recognition and an above-the-rim game that should consistently produce must-see highlights throughout his career. The last thing Williamson needed to secure was a signature shoe deal. He decided in July 2019 to go with Jordan Brand, which makes sense for one of Carolina’s own. According to ESPN, Williamson’s deal with Jordan Brand is the richest annual take for an NBA rookie ever offered.