Zion Williamson Talks Rookie of the Year, NBA Hiatus, More with Ernie Johnson

While he'd be gracious in defeat, New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson acknowledged he'd be disappointed to fall short in the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year race. 

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is the favorite for the honor. Morant and Williamson are both South Carolina natives and briefly played AAU ball together, so the two share a tighter bond than most NBA rookies typically have.

In an interview with Ernie Johnson on the NBA's Twitter account, Williamson said he's "happy for Ja" and that the former Murray State star has worked hard for Rookie of the Year. But Williamson couldn't hide his desire to claim the award for himself:

"I'm just a competitor," he said to Johnson. "I want to win at everything. I'm not gonna sit here and say I don't want to win. ... My goal was if I could rally my team into the playoffs hopefully I could make a run for it. But it's just God's plan at this point."

Williamson only spent one season at Duke and made it count. He was a consensus first-team All-American and collected every major individual award.

Still, one of the lasting images for fans is seeing Williamson suffer a knee injury when his shoe fell apart. He told Johnson he "broke down" when his mom entered the locker room given both the injury and the fact he was missing a Duke-North Carolina game.

The 2018-19 season ended earlier than Williamson and his teammates had hoped after Michigan State beat the Blue Devils in the Elite Eight. He said he knew after the loss that he probably wasn't going to have another crack at a national championship.

"It's just that feeling of man, I'm probably only going to get one shot at this," he said. "As bad as I want to stay and try to get that second one, you know it's probably not going to happen."

Williamson added that it "hurt" to leave Duke but that playing in the NBA was his ultimate goal. He also couldn't pass up the jump to the pros when he was considered a possible No. 1 overall pick.

The 2019-20 season remains on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA announced Monday it would allow for some teams to return to limited practices no earlier than May 8.

Williamson said he has a hoop at his home so he's been able to remain somewhat sharp during the indefinite hiatus and that he's "ready now" if the NBA were to officially resume play.

"Honestly, I'm ready now," Williamson said. "I've been staying in shape. Working on myself and just staying ready. You never know when the time is going to come when they're going to say, 'All right, let's resume.' I don't want to have to look around at my teammates and say, 'Sorry guys, I'm not ready.' So I'm staying ready for my teammates."