“If you win, people remember that”: Zion Williamson Cites Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as Inspiration for Greatness

Zion Williamson has one of the wildest career trajectories we have seen for an NBA player. While injuries may have eaten up a chunk of his time, his impact on the game is simply undeniable.

Throughout his career, he was touted as one of the brightest prospects to enter the league and even today, we can hardly argue about him going no.1, despite his compatriot Ja Morant exploding like a supernova.

Zion was selected as an all-star starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star game. And on the merit of his 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, we think it was well deserved.

The young star was present for the festivities despite not being able to play. And he asked an important question. “Did you expect to have this kind of success, this early in your career, being in the best league in the world?”  Sam Mitchell asked Williamson.

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“If you win, people remember that”: Zion Williamson talks about mentality and why greatness is dependent on winning

We like Zion’s answer. He first says that this is a blessing and how his mentality changed as he entered college, and during his first year in the league.

“If you win, people remember that”@Zionwilliamson talks about his career goals with @TheFrankIsola & @SamMitchellNBA #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/YZg5UhQYww

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) February 21, 2023

He also talks about why greatness is dependent on one thing, and one thing only. Winning. Zion says that his goal is to be one of the greatest to ever play this game and in his quest he needs to do things nobody has ever done.

Which also means winning, a lot. He says he wants to set standards for himself and at the very top, is winning. He also cites his inspiration, we think he chose the right ones.

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Zion cites Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as his inspiration

“If you win people remember that, people always remember winners”, Zion says. And then he goes on to say Bill Russell has 11 rings and Michael Jordan has 6 rings. He cites them as inspirations and the primary reason why they are remembered.

With this attitude, the New Orleans Pelicans superstar is on the right track. We think a fit and healthy Williamson will give the toughest teams in the west a worthy challenge.

And if it all goes right, he may even make his way to the NBA Finals. Wishful thinking for now, but if Zion’s trajectory is anything to go by, it isn’t that far-fetched.

Also read: “Michael Jordan Hung in the Air, Tongue Out and Made a 360 Dunk”: Magic Johnson Reveals the Greatest Shot That Was Never Televised