“I’ve never seen anybody like Zion Williamson, who is a lefty and can dunk with his right like that”: When Kevin Durant reasoned why he believed the then-Duke star was a generational talent

Back in 2018, Kevin Durant stated how the then-Duke star Zion Williamson was a “once-in-a-generation athlete”.

Back in 2019, Zion Williamson was one of the most hyped prospects entering the league since LeBron James in 2003. And it is safe to say that Zion has lived up to, or some might even argue superseded, all the surreal expectations set for him. Despite having played only 85 till now, Williamson has already established himself as one of the best players in the league.

When healthy, the 21-year-old is one of the most dominant players in the paint. With career averages of 25.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, Williamson has proved all his doubters wrong.

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“Zanos” has been a bully in the pain long before setting foot in the NBA. It was back in his Duke days when he became quite a star, grabbing attention from the stars in the league. Kevin Durant was just one of the many to have lauded the freakish athleticism Zion possessed.

“I’ve seen people jump high, but not that way”: Kevin Durant on Zion Williamson

Back in 2018, during an appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast”, KD termed Williamson a generational talent. The Durantula further spoke about the then-teen sensation:

“He’s a once-in-a-generation athlete, I’ve never seen somebody like that before,” said Durant. “Zion Williamson, I’ve never seen anybody that’s lefty that can dunk with his right hand like that, and cock the ball back so far and jump so high off two feet. I’ve seen people jump high, but not that way, you know what I’m saying?”

A year prior to this interview, Durant had even appeared in an “Overtime” video where he broke down Zion’s game. The then-Warriors superstar had some similar type of comments:

“Zion Williamson – everybody knows this guy. Been watching him for the last couple of years. Just a bull in a China shop. Freakish athlete, like a once-in-a-generation type athlete. Strong left, obviously. Good finish, good touch around the rim. And that transition is kind of hard to stop this dude, like nearly impossible. He gonna go block every shot. He can’t have any space around. If you give him space, he taking off. Yeah, he gets to the rim.”

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Hopefully, Zion manages to stay healthy now that he has missed a majority of the games so early in his career. Being cleared to play without any restrictions, the Pelicans will surely benefit from Williamson’s services in the upcoming season.