Advertisement

Zion Williamson's Summer League debut cut short by minor knee injury, major earthquake

jack baer
Staff writer
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Zion Williamson reacts after being drafted with the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Zion Williamson saw few minutes in his debut. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Zion Williamson didn’t see many minutes during his first game in a New Orleans Pelicans uniform, but it was all he needed to demonstrate what he brings to the NBA.

Playing against the New York Knicks and former Duke teammate R.J. Barrett on Friday at the NBA Summer League, Williamson posted 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting and three rebounds in nine minutes. Every made field goal was a dunk or lay-up.

Zion Williamson is very good at dunking

Williamson got his first point on a free throw after being fouled on a dunk attempt 15 seconds into the game. Minutes later, he finally took flight.

The biggest highlight of the night came when Williamson bullied Kevin Knox after a defensive rebound then slammed it home.

Williamson also brought the fireworks in the pregame lay-up lines, with the raucous crowd going actually booing him when he opted to do lay-ups.

Williamson’s night came to a close at halftime after the Pelicans reportedly decided to shut him down following a knee-to-knee hit at some point during the half. Williamson was reportedly scheduled for 24 to 28 minutes entering the game.

The injury is not expected to linger, the Pelicans are merely being precautionary with the player who holds their franchise’s future in the hands.

That didn’t stop the crowd from chanting “We want Zion!” during the third quarter.

Despite the sudden end, it was an impressive night for Williamson. He had plenty of notable spectators.

LeBron, AD show out for Zion

Among the crowd watching Williamson and the Pelicans face the Knicks were LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, all players with key roles in the Pelicans’ past, present and future. Also present were Floyd Mayweather, Trae Young and as many as 1,000 members of the media.

David and Williamson actually had a run-in before the game, a friendly meeting between players representing different eras in Pelicans history.

The game was eventually postponed after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook Las Vegas and Southern California. Williamson didn’t have anything to do with that.

More from Yahoo Sports: