The Last Dance: The New Orleans Pelicans Resemble the 1988-89 Bulls
A legend begins…
The Jordan of 1988 and New Orleans Pelicans’ rookie Zion Williamson have plenty in common.
They both came out of the ACC as legends, Jordan after hitting the game winner in the 1982 championship against Georgetown and Zion after breaking the laws of physics at Duke.
There was plenty of hype and a certain amount of mystique surrounding both guys. The players that capture our imagination don’t come around every year, but once in awhile someone enters the league who just has a different feel.
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This was true of Magic and Larry, Michael and LeBron and now Zion. In just 19 games the Pelicans’ rookie captured the attention of NBA fans and his peers in ways that no one had since LeBron.
Like Jordan, Zion does things that seem physically impossible. He’s a 285 lb. man with a 45-inch vertical leap, and there is just something different about watching him dunk.
Zion seems to have that extra level to his leap, much like Jordan, who just kept soaring long after gravity should have taken its hold.
The NBA has seen plenty of prolific dunkers, but there was just something different about MJ, something magical.
Zion has the same magic, that little something extra that sets apart the greats from the legends.
Much like the 1988-89 Bulls, the New Orleans Pelicans are trying to build around their young superstar, hoping to get the right combination of players to complement his talents.
Both Michael Jordan and Zion Williamson were legends at a young age, but they needed a partner before they could take over the league.