Zion Williamson also happens to have a soft skill that few ball players have, as he revealed on the JJ Redick podcast – he’s a poet!
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We all know Zion for being the #1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and for making an All-Star bow this year. What we do know is that he’s possibly the greatest athletic specimen in the league since LeBron James, and certainly since Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Zion is scoring points almost at will this season. He finished the month of February with one of the most dominant scoring stats of this century.
We’re waiting for him to put on a show for Team Durant at the All-Star Game tomorrow. His hops will definitely take the festivities to a new level.
Zion Williamson on his interest in poetry
“It started in high school. Like I was in a creative writing class. I just needed another class in my senior year, so that was the available class for the time slot. I was trying to figure out the college process of where I wanna go.”
“So I remember going to this class and writing just to get the passing grade. And this teacher, Mr. Phil, he was such a great guy. He really knew his stuff about sports, and he was a kind guy, through and through.”
“One day, he came to me and he was like ‘Alright, Zion, I want you to actually try. I want you to talk about something real, something that hits you.’ I was like ‘Alright, I got you.'”
Zion on his poetry is an all time moment on the show. @jj_redick @zionwilliamson @talter pic.twitter.com/rWoTJyegLs
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) March 3, 2021
He then talked about his first ‘real’ poem, in which he describes two guys. Redick and Tommy Alter listened with rapt attention to this highly unusual tale. NBA-level athletes are often considered jocks, and incapable of serious academic pursuits. But Zion was well channeled by his high school teacher, who’s fashioned a great pastime for him to pursue through the rest of his life.
