New Orleans Pelicans: Players as modern musical artists
Zion Williamson: Young Drake
None of these will be perfect, but this one is too clear to pass up. Drake got his break on the hit show “Degrassi” back in 2001. He was only 15 years old when the show first premiered, and years before, he was making music with the likes of Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.
It gave him a level of fame before he took off into a different stratosphere, which is similar to the arc Zion Williamson is right now.
Before he was bursting through his shoes at Duke, Zion was an underground viral sports star while playing high school basketball. Social media giants like Overtime and HouseofHighlights posted tapes of this kid who resembled a middle linebacker performing jaw-dropping dunks in the middle of games.
There’s been nothing like it in my lifetime, and it’s why he was so breathtaking to watch. The name Zion Williamson catapulted to the forefront for young basketball fans who wanted to see what this guy could do at the next level.
Like Drake quickly outgrew Degrassi, Zion blasted through college opponents like pieces on a chessboard. It was evident Zion was the best player on the court at all moments, and he was the first overall pick in the making.
Drake lived up to the hype from the jump, notably after his feature on the song “Forever” and his first album “So Far Gone.” Even then, he wasn’t getting his proper respect as the guy “up next” to lead the rap game through the next era.
Zion is at the place right now where he is coming off one of the most impressive offensive seasons of all time from a player under 25, yet no one is talking about it. Whether it’s playing in New Orleans or another reason, it feels like Zion has become more of a stat nerd hero rather than a universally proclaimed great basketball player.
Much like in 2010 with Drake, you can see an all-time great in the infancy of their career. Even then, Drake shattered every expectation and became the defining artist of an uber-talented era of music. Zion has all the tools to outgrow his first overall pick status and be the focal point of life after LeBron.