“$182 million for Zion Williamson is too low for a generational talent like Michael Jordan or LeBron James”: NBA fans debate over whether the Pelicans should sign their star to a max extension

Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson is currently in line for a much debated max extension, and fans are all over the place on whether he should get it or not.

Zion Williamson became a household name ever since his days in high school. The athletic forward would go viral almost every day for some dunk or the other.

These dunks were no slouches either as it really looked like Zion had the power and athleticism to pull off dunks nobody had seen before from someone his age.

Attention on Zion only increased after he committed to playing for Duke basketball. Playing alongside R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish, the Blue Devils looked unbeatable. However, their title run ended earlier than many thought. It didn’t hurt Zion’s stock, however.

He was seen as by and far the best player int he 2019 draft, and the Pelicans confirmed that thought when they selected him first overall. However, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Zion play and that’s starting to raise some concerns.

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NBA fans debate over Twitter about Zion Williamson getting $182 million

Zion truly is a generational star. His high school hype is comparable really only to LeBron James. Ever since high school, LeBron was touted as the ‘Chosen One’ to replace Michael Jordan.

Of course, Zion didn’t receive that kind of attention, but all the media focus on him even at that age was similar to how LeBron was hounded during his St. Vincent Mary days. Zion’s games were televised just like LeBron, and he had already become a high school star before stepping into the NBA.

His dunks were viewed on every social media platform available, and there were talks of him being the number one overall pick well before he had even suited up for college. LeBron skipped the college route and went straight to the NBA, but Zion couldn’t do that. It didn’t matter as in the end he was picked first anyway.

Zion had an impressive rookie season, and then he followed that up with an even more impressive sophomore season. In his second year in the league, Zion averaged 27 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game while being an absolute force in the paint, putting up stats similar to Shaquille O’Neal down low.

His early success is reminiscent to how Michael Jordan dominated coming straight out of the gate. Jordan was definitely on a different level, averaging 28.2 points per game right out of the gate. With stats comparable to Jordan, a max extension makes sense right?

Well, Zion’s health is a big concern, and it’s why fans are saying $182 million isn’t worth it for him. In Zion’s first two years, he’s played only 85 out of 154 games. He missed last season completely with a fractured foot that he’s recovering from this offseason. Jordan did also play in only 18 games in his sophomore season due to a foot injury, so there are comparisons there too, but the debate rages on.

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Post Edited By: Ashish Priyadarshi
LeBron James Michael Jordan NBA New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson

About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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