Skip to content

Kobe has advice for Zion: 'If he's healthy, he should go play'

Lance King / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Zion Williamson's injury kickstarted a large-scale debate about whether the 6-foot-7, 285-pound freshman should continue playing for Duke ahead of a likely multi-million dollar payday when he commits to the NBA.

Among those involved in the conversation is Kobe Bryant, who offered a very Black Mamba-like opinion.

"Players should be able to choose and decide what the hell they want to do, to be honest," Bryant said, according to The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. "Whether you want to go to college or not really depends on you. In terms of Zion, if he's healthy, he should go play. He made a decision to go to college and injuries are a part of that process and sometimes you get hurt, sometimes you don't, man.

"But you made the decision to go to college and you made your commitment to the university, then by all means finish your commitment. I expect him to get healthy, get his knee better or whatever it was and come out and kick ass."

Bryant understands what it takes to return from a setback, as the 18-time All-Star dealt with several injuries throughout his career until a devastating left knee injury essentially put an end to his playing days.

When Williamson did the splits and tore through his shoe in the first minute of Duke's loss to North Carolina last week, the star forward was fortunate the injury was nothing more than a mild knee sprain.

The Blue Devils haven't discussed shutting down the 18-year-old for the remainder of the season, and he's intent on rejoining his teammates when healthy.

Williamson is in the midst of a historic season in which he's averaging 21.6 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting an ultra-efficient 68.3 percent from the field. He's widely regarded as one of the best prospects in recent memory and a virtual lock to be selected first overall in June's draft.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox