Duke Blue Devils freshman Zion Williamson doesn't remember watching Michael Jordan during his playing days. In Zion's defense, he was only two years old when Jordan retired—a second time—from the Washington Wizards in 2003. Yet, the 6'7", 280-pound presumptive No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft (who never thought he'd be that big) says His Airness is his favorite basketball player ever. That's despite the existence of LeBron James, the only athlete with a comparable combination of size and athleticism, and the fact that Zion attends Duke, the arch-nemeses of UNC, Jordan's alma mater. See, Zion started studying Jordan on the recommendation of his step-dad, and he's been devouring YouTube videos of Mr. Space Jam ever since. In the video below, Zion remembers one legendary Jordan moment in particular, against the Knicks, when he performed the kind of jaw-dropping, Matrix-glitching, what-the-fuuuu move that would get a controller smashed in NBA 2K if it happened against you.
Also in the video: Duke's other electrifying youngsters—RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Tre Jones—explain their slightly newer-school NBA faves, and all four freshmen drop their takes on the fashion sense of current NBA stars. (Spoiler: There are feelings on Russell Westbrook.)
Check out their thoughts, and relive the iconic MJ moment that's stuck with Zion, in the video below.
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