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Zion Williamson is an American basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans. He was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, and attended Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina, where he played basketball and grew to 6 ft 3 in between eighth and ninth grade. In his freshman year, Williamson was named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year. However, he has faced recent setbacks due to a back injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. With a successful career, Williamson has made over $115 million playing professional basketball and continues to be a prominent player in the NBA.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Zion Williamson |
| Nickname | Zanos |
| Age | 25 years |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) |
| Weight | 284 lbs (128 kg) |
| Position | Power Forward |
| Team | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Salary | $39.4M for 2025–26 |
| High School | Spartanburg Day School |
| College | Duke |
| Notable Achievements | ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, AP Player of the Year, Sporting News College Player of the Year, Wayman Tisdale Award |
| Current Playing Status | Ruled out for the rest of the 2024-25 season due to a back injury |
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What You'll Learn
Zion Williamson's basketball career
Zion Williamson is a 25-year-old professional basketball player. He was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, and grew up in South Carolina. Williamson's mother, Sharonda Sampson, was a sprinter at Livingstone and became a middle school health and physical education teacher. His stepfather, Lee Anderson, was a former Clemson college basketball player.
Williamson's basketball journey began at a young age. At nine, he started waking up at 5 a.m. every day to train. He competed in youth leagues, with his mother as his coach, and played for the Sumter Falcons on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, facing opponents four years older than him. In middle school, Williamson played for the basketball team at Johnakin Middle School in Marion, South Carolina, where he averaged 20 points per game and lost only three games in two years.
Williamson attended Spartanburg Day School in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he continued to play basketball. Between eighth and ninth grade, he grew from 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) to 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m). During this time, he also developed the ability to dunk and competed for the South Carolina Hornets AAU team, where he was teammates with Ja Morant. In his senior year, Williamson averaged an impressive 36.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He also led Spartanburg Day to their first SCISA Region I-2A title, contributing a game-high 37 points in a 105–49 victory.
Williamson's freshman year at Duke University was exceptional. He was named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year. He set numerous records, including the single-game school scoring record for freshmen in January 2019, and earned AP Player of the Year and Sporting News College Player of the Year recognition.
In the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson was selected as the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans. He signed a five-year, $75 million shoe deal with the Jordan brand, the second-largest rookie shoe deal in history. Despite facing criticism for his weight, Williamson has proven his skill and value on the court. In his first 15 games, he scored 362 points, and by 2025, he had earned over $115 million playing professional basketball. Williamson's career has had its setbacks, including injuries and suspensions, but he has also achieved remarkable feats, such as recording multiple triple-doubles in the 2024-25 season.
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Williamson's early life and family
Zion Williamson was born on July 6, 2000, in Salisbury, North Carolina, to Sharonda Sampson (now Sharonda Anderson) and Lateef Williamson. His father, Lateef, was a 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end who played football at North Carolina State before transferring to Livingstone College due to academic reasons. Lateef's athletic prowess and build are said to have been passed on to his son, with one source commenting that Zion has his ""genetic makeup to thank" for his physical abilities. However, Lateef and Sharonda divorced when Zion was a toddler, and his presence in his son's life was brief.
Sharonda, Zion's mother, was a track and field athlete at Livingstone College. She worked as a middle school health and physical education instructor and was also Zion's full-time basketball coach. She is credited by Zion as being the reason for his success, with her relentless coaching and high expectations. She remarried to Lee Anderson, a former Clemson University basketball player, who also played an influential role in Zion's basketball development.
From a young age, Zion showed a passion for sports, including basketball, soccer, and football. At the age of five, he set his sights on becoming a college basketball star, and by nine, he was waking up at 5 am every morning to train. He competed in youth leagues, facing opponents four years older, and played for the Sumter Falcons in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit. He joined the basketball team at Johnakin Middle School in Marion, South Carolina, where he was again coached by his mother and averaged 20 points per game. With his mother and stepfather's guidance, he developed his skills and worked on becoming a point guard.
Zion's dedication and hard work paid off, and he went on to attend Spartanburg Day School, where he was a highly-ranked recruit and was recognised as one of the top five players in the 2018 class. He led his team to three consecutive state championships and was named South Carolina Mr. Basketball in his senior year. He joined the Duke Blue Devils for his freshman year and was then selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, beginning his professional career.
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Injuries and absence from games
Zion Williamson has had a string of injuries that have kept him out of games throughout his career. In his rookie season, he underwent knee surgery and missed games at the end of his second season due to a fractured finger. He sat out his entire third season after having foot surgery, and in his fourth season, he suffered a hamstring injury.
Williamson's injuries have sparked conversations about his proneness to injury. In his first four seasons, he played 114 games and missed 141. Despite this, experts argue that his injuries seem to be isolated events rather than a pattern of soft tissue injuries. They also highlight the variety of issues causing him to miss games, such as knee surgery, a fractured finger, foot surgery, and a hamstring injury.
The three biggest injuries of Williamson's career involved different types of tissue. The first was a meniscus tear in his knee, followed by a broken fifth metatarsal (bone). The third was a hamstring strain, which is a muscle injury. Experts express concern about the impact of these injuries on his right lower extremity and the potential influence on his movement patterns.
Williamson's absence due to injury has had a significant impact on his team, the New Orleans Pelicans. In the 2024-25 season, the Pelicans announced that Williamson would not play for the rest of the season due to a back injury. He missed games against the Hornets, Warriors, and 76ers. As of November 2024, Williamson was still sidelined due to a hamstring strain, and his return was not expected for several more weeks.
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Williamson's accolades and achievements
Zion Williamson is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward position. In his freshman year, Williamson attended Spartanburg Day School, where he was a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked among the top five players in the 2018 class. He led his team to three straight state championships and earned South Carolina Mr. Basketball recognition in his senior season. Williamson also left high school as a McDonald's All-American.
In his freshman and only season with Duke, Williamson was named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year. He set the single-game school scoring record for freshmen in January 2019, claimed ACC Rookie of the Week accolades five times, earned AP Player of the Year, Sporting News College Player of the Year recognition, and won the Wayman Tisdale Award. On February 4, 2019, Williamson was named ACC Freshman of the Week for the fourth time and earned a National Player of the Week distinction from the Naismith Trophy. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020 and, in 2021, he became the fourth-youngest NBA player to be selected to an All-Star game. Williamson has made at least $115,002,057 playing professional basketball.
In middle school, Williamson was a point guard and lost only three games in two years. In 2013, he guided Johnakin to an 8–1 record and a conference title. Between eighth and ninth grade, he grew from 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) to 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m). In the summer leading up to his first season of high school basketball, Williamson practiced in the school gym and developed the ability to dunk. In March 2015, Williamson took part in the SCISA North-South All-Star Game in Sumter, South Carolina. By his second year in high school, he stood at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m). In his sophomore season, Williamson averaged 28.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, and 2.7 steals per game and was named SCISA Region I-2A Player of the Year. He led the Griffins to their first SCISA Region I-2A title in program history. In June 2016, Williamson participated in the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Top 100 camp and was its leading scorer. In August, he won the Under Armour Elite 24 showcase dunk contest in New York City.
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Trade rumours and contract discussions
There have been ongoing trade rumours surrounding Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. Williamson has been limited to 214 total regular-season games across six NBA seasons and has never suited up for the playoffs. However, when he has been available, he has been a strong performer, with career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 31.4 minutes per contest.
Williamson's health has been a concern, with the 2024/25 season being cut short due to a hamstring injury, limiting him to 30 or fewer games for the fourth time in his six years in the NBA. This has led to speculation about his future with the Pelicans, especially with the team undergoing a front office overhaul. Despite this, the Pelicans have indicated that they plan to keep Williamson as the face of the franchise, with ongoing discussions between Williamson's camp and the head of basketball operations, Joe Dumars, taking place. Dumars has stated that Williamson is "going to continue to be a focal point" for the team.
The Pelicans' decision to make Williamson their representative at the NBA draft lottery was seen as a strong signal that he remains an integral part of the franchise. Williamson is in the first year of a five-year contract extension with the Pelicans, signed in July 2022, worth approximately $126.5 million over the next three seasons. This includes a salary of $33.5 million for the 2023-24 season, $42.2 million for the 2025-26 season, and $44.9 million for the 2027-28 season. However, the salaries for the latter two seasons are non-guaranteed unless Williamson meets the games-played threshold.
While trade rumours persist, it appears that the Pelicans are committed to keeping Williamson for the upcoming season, with both sides expressing satisfaction with their relationship.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Zion Williamson did not play for the New Orleans Pelicans for the rest of the 2024-25 season due to a back injury.
Zion Williamson plays the position of Power Forward.
Zion Williamson is 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall.
Zion Williamson weighs 284 lbs (128 kg).
