During last night’s rivalry showdown between Duke and North Carolina, star forward Zion Williamson injured his knee in one of the weirdest plays in recent basketball memory.
Thirty seconds into the game, Zion dribbled his way to the free throw line and planted hard on his left foot, resulting in his shoe to completely rip apart. Williamson went down and left the game with what is being called a mild knee sprain. Duke went on to lose the game 88-72, but the big takeaway from this game was the Nike shoes Williamson’s foot erupted through, as well as the current landscape of college basketball.
Williamson is projected to be the number one overall pick in this upcoming NBA draft and there is speculation from both current and former players that he should sit out the remainder of this college season. The NCAA has been criticized in the past for not paying it’s athletes despite the national spotlight they receive. There has been no indication that Williamson will consider sitting out, but he does risk the potential of losing out on professional money if he aggravates his knee injury.
Among other highlights from the game last night, former President Barack Obama was in attendance to watch the legendary Tobacco Road game. Unfortunately for him and the Cameron Crazies, they all missed out on seeing Zion leave his mark on such a historical rivalry.
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