NEW YORK – ESPN analyst and fellow Duke basketball product Jay Bilas recently underlined the unselfishness that emanates from Zion Williamson by noting that NBA.com’s consensus No. 1 draft pick often “throws the spotlight back on his teammates at every single opportunity.” While surrounded by dozens of media members Wednesday in a Grant Hyatt hotel ballroom, Williamson was the unquestioned center of attention, but made sure to deflect praise to fellow Blue Devils R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish, both of whom are expected to join Williamson as a lottery pick Thursday.
Williamson didn’t stop there. The 6-foot-7, 285-pound forward also seemed to compliment virtually everyone in his life, from his mother and stepfather, to his enthusiastic 5-year-old brother, to Mike Krzyzewski, to Duke’s assistant coaches, to little-known Blue Devils teammates who rarely played in 2018-19 but whose team-first attitude made a big impression on Williamson.