Zion Williamson plays with force and ferocity, a Hulk in hightops who looks as though he'd never show a soft side. Draft night proved otherwise. Williamson was the No. 1 pick of the New Orleans Pelicans—a surprise to nobody who watched basketball this past season. But afterward he couldn't hide his emotions, even though he along with everyone else knew what would happen Thursday night, the AP reports. "Hearing my name called and I was able to make it on stage without a tear, shake the commissioner's hand, but in the interview my mom was standing beside me, and my emotions just took over," he said. There might be tears of joy in New Orleans, too, after the Pelicans were able to get the the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Duke powerhouse who is considered one of the most exciting prospects in years.
Williamson will step into an open position in New Orleans, which recently agreed to trade All-Star Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Memphis Grizzlies also quickly addressed a positional need by taking Murray State's Ja Morant with the No. 2 pick. The Grizzlies agreed to trade Mike Conley, their longtime point guard, to Utah a day earlier. RJ Barrett then made it two Duke freshmen within the top-three picks when the New York Knicks took the guard who actually edged out Williamson to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. De'Andre Hunter of national champion Virginia was taken fourth but won't be teaming up with Williamson. The Pelicans acquired the rights to the pick in the Davis deal but agreed to trade it shortly before the draft to Atlanta.
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