Zion Williamson’s father, Lateef Williamson, played football at North Carolina State, then eventually transferred to Livingstone State. That’s where he met Sharonda Sampson, Williamson’s mother, who ran track at Livingstone College.
But Sampson is no longer with Lateef; she has since remarried a man named Lee Anderson, who Williamson paid tribute to in a touching Instagram over the summer that acknowledged the role both men have played in his life.
For Father’s Day, Williamson wrote, “Happy Father’s Day to my step dad, who has been there for me since I was 4, teaching me the game I love and showing me how to be a man. To my real dad, idk if he will see this, but happy Father’s Day, always will have love for ya?”
Here’s what you need to know about Williamson’s two fathers:
Anderson Spoke Out Against Williamson’s Decision to Play at Duke Over Clemson
After Williamson announced that he would play college basketball at Duke, his step-father explained why he was a little bit surprised by the final decision; specifically, by Williamson’s decision not to go to Clemson. To The State, Anderson said, “At first, I thought Clemson was the ideal place for Zion. At first, that’s what I thought. I still believe that, I really believe that.”
Anderson continued, “But it wasn’t me making that decision. When Zion walks on that campus and goes to sleep on that campus and wakes up on that campus and realizes, ‘Hey, I’m here, this is for real,’ I want to make sure that’s his decision. He has to live that life.'”
Anderson also revealed a conversation he had with the Clemson coaches, where he said, “You all had a mile-and-a-half lead on the situation. I don’t know what happened along the way.”
To the publication, Anderson confirmed that he chose not to try to “persuade” Williamson, though he believed he could have, especially since Clemson is his alma mater.
“We could have easily persuaded him, but I’m not into persuasion. I want him to feel good about his decision,” Anderson explained. “I told Zion, that would have been great, that would have been great. But he made his decision, and we’re going to live with that… We’re not running from anybody. We were straight up with everybody and we told them what was what from Day One, and the final decision would be Zion’s decision.”
According to ESPN, Anderson coached his stepson, as did Williamson’s mother, throughout Williamson’s childhood. Though Lateef Williamson has not given an interview about his son, ESPN reports that their genetic similarities are pretty clear: one publication reported that Lateef, at the time of his own college career in football, was “a massive defensive lineman who is said to be one of the most imposing physical specimens to come to NC State in recent years.”
In October, Williamson’s ‘Father’ Was Brought up on a Wiretap With a Kansas Assistant Coach
In October, Williamson was pulled into a FBI court case related to corruption in the NCAA; specifically, his “father”, though it doesn’t specify whether it was his step-father or biological father, was brought up on a wiretap call between an assistant coach for Kansas and an Adidas executive about financial aspects of Williamson’s decision.
Though the alleged wiretapped call was eventually ruled inadmissable as evidence, and therefore did not affect the results of the case, the jury still heard the call. Per CBS, the coach was caught saying to his lawyer, “He’s asking for opportunities from an occupational perspective, he’s asking for cash in the pocket and he’s asking for housing for him and his family.”
Duke has maintained that Williamson was not offered anything of the sort to play for the team.
Zion Williamson’s Father: Duke Player Pays Tribute to Step Dad & ‘Real Dad’