Zion Williamson spoke about how his family showed him a few NBA legends and some lesser known players so he could watch them and improve his game.
Zion Williamson is enjoying a 4th season in the NBA that isn't quite at the level where he was in his 2nd season. He missed an entire season in the middle due to injuries, so, understandably, he needs some time to get back into rhythm. The New Orleans Pelicans man has a polished game, not only is he a force of nature in the paint, but he is extremely efficient as well.
And that's thanks to some of the legends he was able to watch and model his game after as a youngster. NBA stars have always been idolized by those that wanted to follow in their footsteps, and Williamson is no different. But while Zion is quite young and grew up watching the likes of LeBron James, who he gets compared to, and Kobe Bryant, his family ensured that he was also watching the greats of the past.
Zion Williamson's mother wanted him to learn from the greatest to ever do it, and as such, she made sure he watched the GOATs play.
“My mom put me on Magic, Bird because of their playmaking abilities… watched Michael Jordan, you know he’s a phenomenal scorer. When he had to play point guard, he averaged a triple-double.
A player that has a combination of skills from Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan would win endless championships. And while Zion isn't able to do everything they could, his game and basketball IQ have to have been influenced by watching them. But he also watched some lesser-known NBA stars.
Zion Williamson's Stepfather Showed Him Some Old-School Players For Inspiration
The greatest of all time will always be relevant to young players looking to learn the game. But some players that aren't remembered much also had some unique and great abilities. And Zion explained that his stepfather showed him some of those players as well.
My stepfather is more so like old school, you got Kenny Anderson I’d watch, Earl Monroe, a player named Slick Watts a lot of people don’t know. He kinda put me on those kind of players cause, Fly Williams, he put me on those players cause they just play fundamentally sound basketball but they all had their own flair to it.”
The fact that Williamson plays an efficient, almost 'old man' game suddenly makes a lot more sense now. The fact that he was exposed to these players makes a huge difference and this is something all parents of budding youngsters should take note of. And if he fulfills his potential, Zion Williamson will be one of those players that kids watch to learn from one day as well.
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