Duke Blue Devils' star freshman forward Zion Williamson reportedly has an $8 million loss of value insurance policy, which will kick in if he's selected 16th or later in the 2019 NBA Draft. Of course, Williamson is projected as the #1 overall pick, but this policy protects him should he suffer a catastrophic injury this season.
News of Williamson's insurance policy, courtesy of The Athletic's Darren Rovell, surfaced after the 18-year old phenom literally ripped through his Nike PG 2.5 sneaker in the opening minute of Wednesday night's nationally televised Duke vs UNC game.
According to Rovell, Williamson's policy was paid for by Duke and is worth $8 million on the outside chance that he is picked 16th or later in the NBA draft.
The loss of value insurance "protects a student-athlete’s future contract value from decreasing below a predetermined amount due to a significant injury or illness suffered during the policy’s designated coverage period."
Nike released the following statement on Wednesday night in regards to Williamson's exploding PG 2.5:
“We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery. The quality and performance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue.”
The Blue Devils were unable to recover after their star player exited the game, as the Tar Heels dominated en route to an 88-72 victory.
In 26 games this season, Williamson is averaging 21.6 points to go along with 8.8 rebounds per night.
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)