Several current and former NBA stars have weighed in since Duke Blue Devils freshman phenom Zion Williamson suffered a knee injury in the opening seconds against UNC.
Many of them believe the projected #1 overall pick should sit out the rest of the season, even if he's full healthy.
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant, however, feels Zion owes it to the University to go out and compete if he's healthy. In an interview with Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Kobe says,
"In terms of Zion, if he’s healthy, he should go play. He made a decision to go to college and injuries are a part of that process and sometimes you get hurt, sometimes you don’t, man. But you made the decision to go to college and you made your commitment to the university, then by all means finish your commitment. I expect him to get healthy, get his knee better or whatever it was and come out and kick a–."
Williamson, 18, has not played since his Nike PG 2.5 sneaker ripped to shreds on February 20, after which he was diagnosed with a "mild knee sprain."
Since the loss to UNC, Duke has gone 1-1, including a victory at Syracuse and a road loss to Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils, currently ranked third in the nation, have three games remaining in the regular season: home against Miami, home against Wake Forest, and at UNC on Saturday, March 9.