Zion Williamson had no interest in hearing your opinion after his exploding shoe injury
Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson was always going to do what he felt was right. So when the 18-year-old Williamson heard his knee injury wasn’t going to sideline him for the rest of the college basketball season, he had no reservations about getting back on the court.
Others, however, didn’t agree. In the days following Williamson’s injury, analysts debated whether the big man should return to the court. As the NBA’s presumptive No. 1 overall draft pick, Williamson risked a more serious injury if he returned. Some believed he was better off healing and taking his chances in the NBA following the scare.
Williamson didn’t want to hear those debates. In an interview with Slam, Williamson revealed he didn’t enjoy hearing people give their opinion on whether he should keep playing college basketball.
Warning: Williamson does spoil “Avengers: Endgame” at the end of the video, so keep watching with caution. Relevant comments around the 8:30 mark.
“What people don’t know is that hurt. That game hurt. You dream about that game — just being in games like that since you were a little kid. To go out in the first 30 seconds because of my shoe. That one hurt. It hurts.
“So, every time I turn on the TV, there it is, the clip. That one hurt. Every time I turn the TV on it’s showing that clip and telling me whether I should play or not play. I’m not going to let nobody else tell me what I can do with my life. It’s never going to happen. I knew I was coming back the whole time.”
Williamson had to leave a game against UNC after his shoe fell apart on the court. He injured his knee on the play and missed multiple games due to the issue. Williamson returned for the ACC tournament, and led Duke to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament before getting eliminated by Michigan State.
Ultimately, the injury didn’t have an impact on Williamson’s future. He was able to return, play effectively and avoid other injuries.
Williamson is expected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft. He should find out where he’s going Tuesday once the NBA draft lottery is completed.
(Yahoo Sports NBA H/N: FTW)
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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