Zion Williamson Never Considered Sitting Rest of Duke Season After Knee Injury

Despite some speculation Zion Williamson would end his freshman season early at Duke after suffering a knee injury, the former Duke star said that was never really an option in an interview with Franklyn Calle of Slam Online. 

While he admitted he heard the discussion about resting up for the NBA draft, Williamson explained that it wasn't his plan:

"I made a commitment to my brothers. So if I was to sit out, that'd be very selfish on my part. And I couldn't do that. Sitting on the sideline and watching your brothers battle without you, knowing you can be affecting the game, it hurts. I made a commitment so I wasn't going back on my word. So I knew I was coming back the whole time."

After missing a few weeks of action, the freshman returned to lead Duke to an ACC tournament title and a trip to the Elite Eight.

Williamson was diagnosed with Grade 1 knee sprain which he suffered just one minute into a highly anticipated battle against North Carolina. At this time, he had already proved himself as the best player in college basketball and the likely No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

The thought process was that he could avoid further injury by resting and preparing for the next level, similar to what Nick Bosa did before the NFL draft.

Even some current NBA players felt he would be smart to sit out the rest of the year:

However, Williamson explained that he never really considered the strategy.

"It wasn’t even a thought," he said. "It was probably something we looked at, somebody saying I should sit down—haha, that’s funny. I’m coming back."

Duke was likely happy he returned, even though the squad wasn't able to achieve its goal of a national championship.