When 20-year-old Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans was selected for the All-Star game, he joined an elite group of players.
Although Zion Williamson was not voted in by the fans, players and media, he will still represent the New Orleans Pelicans in the All-Star game after being selected as a reserve.
This wasn’t a surprise, as Zion has been spectacular this season, particularly since being given more of the ball handling duties by coach Stan Van Gundy.
Zion Williamson is up to 25.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists, all career-highs for the second-year star.
He’s also been better defensively, increasing his blocks and steals, though he still needs some work on that end of the floor.
By making the All-Star team at just age 20, Zion has put himself into an elite group of players that includes three of the best of all time.
New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson joins all-time greats like Kobe Bryant
Zion Williamson is the fourth-youngest player to ever be selected to an All-Star game.
The three players he’s behind? Oh, just some guys named Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Magic Johnson aka, three of the best players to ever hold a basketball.
The crazy thing is that Zion Williamson is arguably as good as all of them at this age (exception would be LeBron) as he averages more points than Kobe and Magic did at the same age.
I’m not saying Zion is better, but he deserves to be in the conversation about who is the best 20-year-old of all-time in the NBA. I’d still put the other three ahead of him, but even to be in the discussion is an achievement when you look at the names.
Zion Williamson does not have a ceiling as a player, especially if he continues to improve his shooting, passing and defense, as he is already one of the most dominant post players the game has ever seen.
This won’t be the last time we see Zion in the All-Star game, and if he keeps this up, he should make All-NBA.