Zion Williamson entered Wednesday night’s UNC-Duke game as the runaway favorite to be the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick this summer, but a freak accident in the first minute of the game was a stark reminder that a lucrative future hangs in the balance each time he steps the court.
Williamson blew out his shoe and slipped to the floor, suffering a knee injury as he went down. The injury was fortunately only a “mild knee sprain” and Williamson’s knee is “stable,” according to coach Mike Krzyzewski, but a debate is already raging over whether Williamson should be shut down for the rest of the season.
This isn’t the first time Williamson has suffered an injury this season. In Duke’s loss to Florida State, Williamson was temporarily forced out of the game after being poked in the eye by an opponent, and he’s watched fellow freshman star Tre Jones miss time with a shoulder injury. After that Florida State scare, ESPN’s Scottie Pippen argued that Williamson shouldn’t play for the rest of the season, having already solidified his status as the top talent in the draft.
Williamson responded to Pippen’s take after taking down Virginia a few days later. The freshman phenom told Sports Hub Triad‘s Josh Graham that he didn’t go to college to sit on the sideline.
“I just can’t stop playing. I’d be letting my teammates down. I’d be letting Coach K down. I’d be letting a lot of people down. If I wanted to sit out, I wouldn’t have went to college. I came to Duke to play.”
