Duke freshman star Zion Williamson suffered a freak knee injury after his shoe exploded in the first 36 seconds of his game against the University of North Carolina. He ended up leaving the game with a "knee sprain." Duke later announced that Williamson would not be returning to the game.
Williamson was the main attraction for a matchup against the greatest rivalries in college basketball.
He's predicted to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft. He was seen sitting on the bench before leaving for the locker room. ESPN originally reported that Williamson got a new pair of shoes, while he was in the locker room.
Williamson injury changes landscape of NCAA tournament
This serious injury changes the landscape of the coming ACC championship as well as the NCAA Tournament. However, Duke is more concerned with the health of their star player. Now that Williamson has been ruled out, it's a matter of how long he will be gone. Insiders believe that Williamson should call it quits and focus on preparing for the NBA Draft, and not risk a future injury.
Duke fans are hoping they can see Williamson return for another game.
UNC and Duke have become one of the most intense rivalries in college basketball, which caused an increase in the tickets sold. It was such a popular matchup that it drew in Barack Obama, Ken Griffey Jr. and Spike Lee as well as other celebrities. However, it in a matter of seconds, the star of the game was gone. We are hoping this was not the final game for Williamson.
Nike investigating the shoe explosion
Nike responded to Williamson's injury, saying they are working to find the cause of the explosion. Nike eventually called this an isolated occurrence but shared their concern for Zion and wished him well. Duke's coach Mike Krzyzewski eventually called the injury a mild knee sprain and that it was stable.
He did not say how much time Williamson would miss.
Former President Barack Obama was caught pointing to Williamson, saying his shoe just exploded. He later delivered a message to Williamson, wishing him a speedy recovery. Following this incident, Nike was criticized for this matter. Puma even went after Nike saying in a tweet that this wouldn't have happened in Pumas. Puma later deleted that tweet. With Williamson out of the game, North Carolina took advantage of his exit and ended up beating North Carolina 88-72. Duke's Cam Reddish said Williamson was the source of the team's energy.