Getty LeBron James is a fan of Zion Williamson's game.
As the saying goes, game recognizes game and there is no player bigger than LeBron James. Just a few weeks ago, James took time out of his busy schedule to see Zion Williamson and Duke play Virginia. King James came away impressed and can see why there is so much buzz around the Duke big man.
“What strikes me? His agility and his quickness,” James explained to ESPN. “For his size, how strong he is, to be able to move like the way he moves, he’s very impressive. I mean, everybody can see the athleticism. That’s obviously, that’s ridiculous. But the speed and the quickness that he moves [with] at that size is very impressive.”
Some have compared Williamson to James but he has tried to slow people down on the comparisons.
“I mean, I appreciate the fact that people think that, but Michael Jordan’s Michael Jordan, LeBron’s LeBron, and they didn’t become who they were because they were compared to other people,” Williamson noted to GQ. “I appreciate that people think that, give me the comparisons to LeBron, but I’m not LeBron. I’m myself. Before I got big I was playing point guard, so I’m kinda like a pass-first person. Some people tell me I should be more selfish, but that’s not me.”
Rumors Have Swirled Around Zion Williamson & Klutch Sports
Skeptics wondered whether James was in attendance just to watch Duke play, or if the Lakers star was trying to help push Williamson to sign with Klutch Sports. James’ childhood friend Rich Paul runs the sports agency, but James denied there was a business reason for their trip.
James shot down the Klutch Sports connection in an interview with ESPN.
A recruiting trip? I didn’t talk to anybody. They’re only saying that because it’s Rich. When Shaq came to see me play in high school, when A.I. came to see me play in high school, they weren’t saying it was a recruiting trip then. But because it’s Rich Paul and LeBron, now it’s a recruitment trip.
Now Rich is a threat to everybody, and they look at it and they want to keep trying to jab my agent and jab my friend. And what is he doing that’s wrong? They don’t say that about no other agent when other guys go see [players]. They don’t say that about no other agent, but my guy because he’s a threat.
And he’s African-American, too. Throw that in there.
James has an appreciation for what Williamson is going through. Like James, Williamson has garnered a lot of attention since high school thanks to viral dunk videos.
“I can relate in a sense of he’s been covered since he was in high school and everybody is trying to compare him to the next this or the next that,” James explained to ESPN. “But the best thing I’ve noticed is he seems like a good kid. He seems like he’s got his head on straight. And when they asked him about, you know, guys in our league and people who cover our league talking about, ‘If I was Zion Williamson, I would sit out for the rest of the year,’ he was like, ‘That’s [silly]. Why? I’m here to play basketball. I love to play basketball. I’m here at Duke, I’m having fun. These are my friends. I’m having a great time. Why would I sit out?'”
James did not go to college and went straight to the NBA. Are the comparisons warranted? Here is a look at a younger James playing high school basketball.
