The Zion Effect As Seen By The Washington Post

Zion Williamson had a boffo performance around the NBA’s Rising Stars Game and, as he usually does, he made a big impression.

This piece in the Washington Post looks at the sensations he caused and how he and everyone else is dealing with it.

Then after his obligations were over, he jumped on a plane and flew to Durham in time to catch the second half of the Duke-Notre Dame game.

It wasn’t his magic but it maybe paralleled it: when he came in the gym, the place exploded and so did Duke.

We’ve seen that before.

After winning one of his epic title bouts - we can’t remember which one - Sugar Ray Leonard came into an amateur boxing event.

It was exactly the same kind of roar.

People in New Orleans are catching on now that it’s not just about his insane talent or his basketball savvy, both of which are off the charts. It’s also about the kind of person he is and the effect he has on people. We mean first of all his team but secondly on people who are further away than that.

As great as his talent is and as much fun as he is to watch, he brings more than just raw talent to the court.

And it also says a lot about him that he’d rather hang out with his Duke family than at the All-Star game.