Duke Blue Devils fans can abandon hope of Zion Williamson making an about-face.
The NBA prospect hasn’t considered returning to Duke in the aftermath of the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, his stepfather, Lee Anderson, confirmed to ESPN’s “Off the Bench” on Thursday. Williamson reportedly had hoped the New York Knicks would win the No. 1 selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, but the bouncing balls favored the New Orleans Pelicans, who are expected him to pick him first overall.
Williamson hastily exited ESPN’s NBA Draft Lottery set Tuesday, presumably because he was disappointed over the results, and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst subsequently fueled a rumor he might withdraw from the draft and return to Duke for his sophomore season.
However, Anderson dismissed the chance of Williamson returning to college basketball and said his stepson now relishes the prospect of playing for the Pelicans.
“We’re excited about that,” Anderson said, per The Score. “One thing that Zion has always been taught is to accept that things that you can’t change, change the things that you can change, and this is one of the things he had nothing to do with. It’s the process of the NBA. Certainly, we’re excited about the Crescent City down there in New Orleans.
“As you said about returning to Duke: There’s been a lot of speculation but that is nothing that we have even considered.”
The 2019 NBA Draft will take place June 20 in Brooklyn. Expect Williamson to be there, smiling from ear to ear, before he jets off to New Orleans for the first chapter of what should be a storied NBA career.
