Despite having never witness Jordan’s greatness in person, Zion Williamson mentioned MJ as his favorite player growing up. As, arguably, the greatest player to ever play the game, Jordan is an inspiration to many and fan-favorite of the NBA community.
In a chat with Ben Golliver, Zion expressed his admiration of Jordan, having clearly watched plenty of film over the years. He was also someone Zion’s mom told him to study.
Pelicans’ Zion Williamson on Michael Jordan: “He was my favorite player growing up. The ‘last shot’ with the Bulls was up there [as my favorite MJ memory]. He made a defensive play, got the steal off Karl Malone and iced the game.” pic.twitter.com/P3PMqdVSrv
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 14, 2020
Zion Williamson said his mother told him to study three players growing up: Magic, Bird and Jordan. "When I got to Jordan, she told me to watch full games. Not highlights. Watch full games."
— Christian Clark (@christianpclark) February 15, 2020
What Jordan accomplished over the course of his 15-year career is truly unprecedented.
And, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Zion is already experiencing a similar level of hype for his game. As the #1 overall pick coming out of Duke, his unorthodox body and sheer athleticism have him in some pretty big conversations.
It might be why he signed an exclusive deal with Jordan brand this past summer. As one who has the weight of the world on his shoulders, it’s only right that he aligns himself with stars who had similar experiences.