Zion Williamson Felt Bad About Leaving Duke And Declaring For The Draft

BYAlexander Cole2.5K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Zion Williamson

Zion would have preferred to stay for an extra year.

Tomorrow night, the NBA Draft Lottery will take place and some of the worst teams in the league will find out whether or not they will be drafting first overall in the Draft in June. Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson is expected to go first overall in the draft after he dominated the NCAA with his impressive athleticism and monstrous dunks. 

Once the season came to an end, Williamson was the last of his teammates to declare for the draft and in a recent interview with Franklyn Calle of Slam, the young star explained how he didn't want to leave University.

"You get this college experience once," Zion said. "If you're in a situation like mine, where you're one and done, I'm just trying to make the most of what I got. I love Duke, and honestly, I don’t want to leave. If I didn’t have as much at stake, I probably would stay for another year. But I can't."

Zion Williamson Felt Bad About Leaving Duke And Declaring For The Draft
Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Williamson then went on to talk about how his dream has always been to be in the NBA and that at the end of the day, declaring for the draft was simply something he had to do.

"Being at Duke was a dream come true for me. Everything about it. Looking to the sidelines, Whoa, that's Coach K I'm playing for! Coach K is looking at me [and] telling me I'm built for this moment. I have a true brotherhood on and off the court. Everything was just a movie," he explained. "This was the best year of my life. So if I could come back for a second year I would, but unfortunately that's just not the reality we live in. The reality we live in is [that] my ultimate dream is the NBA. It's what I've been dreaming about as a kid so I have to pursue that. And I have to take care of my family."

Where do you think the Duke star will wind up?


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. During this time, he has shown an expertise in Air Jordans, Yeezys, and all things that have to do with Nike. His favorite kicks are the Air Jordan 1 High OG, the Air Jordan 4, the Air Jordan 6, and the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 in the "Beluga 2.0" colorway. Although his collection might not be the biggest, he is always looking to add new styles to it. When it comes to sports, Alex has a particular interest in the NBA and the NFL. His favorite teams are anywhere LeBron goes, and the Kansas City Chiefs. As a Montrealer, the Montreal Canadiens hold a special place in his heart, even if they haven't won the Stanley Cup in his lifetime. Alex also works for the Concordia Stingers, where he provides play-by-play and color commentary for the football, hockey, and basketball teams His favorite hip-hop artists are Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and Lil Uzi Vert.