Zion Williamson was one of the most hyped draft prospects to come into the league. He was touted to become the next big thing once he was drafted into the NBA. But ever since being drafted into the league, he is yet to show his true strength.
The reason behind that is the fact that Williamson hasn’t managed to stay healthy for most of his time in the NBA. However, ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season, Zion is finally healthy, and he displayed his strength in his return fixture during the NBA preseason.
NBA fans were elated after seeing Williamson dominate the game after an absence of 514 days. But today, our focus is not on Zion’s performance on the court but on something which he said off the court.
Zion Williamson Is An Otaku
Zion Williamson is already one of the most popular players in the NBA. So fans are also keen to learn more about their favorite players. Zion gave a pretty detailed interview about his likes and dislikes a few months ago.
In the interview, Williamson also talked about his love for anime. Moreover, the New Orleans Pelicans star also claimed that almost 80% of NBA players are anime fans, but they just don’t admit it.
Via GQ:
“Williamson talks about Naruto with the same reverence with which other NBA players talk about the Bible—it brings comfort and clarity in equal parts. Over the course of this past year—an unusually tumultuous one in his otherwise starry career—Naruto was his north star.
Zion estimates that around 80% of players in the league are into anime; they just won’t admit it.
Those familiar with the conventions of the form know that it would be hard to craft a genre better suited to professional athletes: Shōnen anime (the term for shows targeted at boys) often revolve around a protagonist striving to achieve greatness in their chosen field, be it high seas piracy (One Piece) or fighting alien warlords using energy blasts so powerful they turn your hair gold (Dragon Ball Z).
They’re long-form stories about what it takes to be The Best—not incidentally, the same goal that drives athletes.”
The popularity of anime among people has increased a lot since the coronavirus pandemic. When people had a lot of free time on their hands, they started watching anime to pass their time. But at the end of the day, it’s great to see that more and more athletes are indulging in anime, and people will be more accepting of it due to it.
