“Didn’t Care Much About Zion Williamson Hype”: JJ Redick Recalls ‘Disliking’ Cam Johnson After 88–72 UNC Win Over Duke

Cam Johnson was the latest guest to make an appearance on JJ Redick’s The Old Man and the Three podcast. The two had in-depth conversations on various topics across the nearly 75-minute-long episode. Redick, a Duke University alum, asked the former North Carolina Tar Heel to comment on Zion Williamson’s hype during his college days. While talking about their battle against Duke, Johnson spoke about the iconic contest in which Williamson’s show blew apart.

The Duke Blue Devils-North Carolina Tar Heels rivalry is one of the most intense rivalries in American sports. The first contest between the two prestigious programs took place over 100 years ago. Today, UNC leads the head-to-head battle between the two ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) schools 143-117.

Cam Johnson was extremely satisfied after defeating Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils

JJ Redick brought up the UNC-Duke contest that took place at the Cameron Stadium on 20 February 2019. Just 10 seconds into the game, Williamson’s shoe unusually blew apart. Playing without their star forward, the Blue Devils were unable to clinch a victory.

Cam Johnson lodged an impressive 26-point, 7-rebound, and 4-assist performance, leading the Tar Heels to an 88-72 win. Being a Duke alum who watched the game, JJ Redick revealed that he disliked Cam that night. However, Johnson was satisfied to see the disappointment among Blue Devil fans.

JJ Redick: “Game had a massive amount of hype and Zion bust his shoe, sprained his knees 10 seconds into the game. You guys won, you[Cam Johnson] had 26 points. Didn’t like you a lot that night, I watched that game… The hype around that Duke team and specifically being in the same Conference with Zion that year, what was that like?”

Cam Johnson: “We didn’t care too much about [the Zion Williamson hype]. We saw the hype, we’re like ‘whatever man, we’ll play them’… That game was huge. I remember every detail of that day… First possession he [Zion] comes and busts his shoe and then I go down and get a layup out of it… Then we just steamrolled them from there… That building deflated and that was the most gratifying part of it.”

Defeating the nation’s then-top-ranked team was a special victory for Cam and Co. The hype around Zion and Duke made the victory all the more sweet in the Blue Devils’ home.

Michael Jordan was a part of the most epic Duke-UNC battle

The UNC-Duke rivalry has produced some of the greatest games in college basketball history. Michael Jordan, who spent three years playing for North Carolina, was part of one of the most epic matchups.

Back in 1984, Jordan’s Tar Heels were the highest-ranked team in the nation. Having defeated the Blue Devils on 6 straight occasions, UNC entered the contest as the favorites. Despite MJ going off for a 22-point outing, the Blue Devils clinched a 77-75 OT win.