The fortunes of one NBA franchise are about to change in a big way tonight in Chicago as the draft lottery decides who gets the No. 1 overall pick and
Zion Williamson.
ESPN will air the lottery at 8:30 p.m. ET. The teams with the best chance at landing the top spot are the Cleveland Cavaliers (14 percent), New York Knicks (14), Phoenix Suns (14), Chicago Bulls (12.5) and Atlanta Hawks (10.5).
Williamson spent his only collegiate season at Duke, winning multiple national player of the year awards after averaging 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 68 percent from the field.
Video: Zion Williamson high school highlights South Carolina product set to take NBA by storm.
The Blue Devils went 32-6, winning the ACC Tournament and reaching the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament.
Watching the 6-foot-7, 285-pound forward dominate college basketball this season led many to ask how he was ever stopped in high school.
By and large, he wasn't.
Williamson finished his high school career with three consecutive state titles and 3,202 career points.
Over his four-year run at
Spartanburg Day (Spartanburg, S.C.), Williamson played in exactly 100 games with averages of 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.9 blocks per contest.
He scored 30 or more points 69 times with 70 double-doubles.
Perhaps even more impressively, Williamson emerged as a household name while still a teenager and handled it like a seasoned pro. Drake famously wore his jersey. Overflow crowds showed up to see him in gyms from Las Vegas to Columbia, S.C.
Williamson's endless highlight reel and camera-friendly smile will likely make him one of the most marketable young athletes in the world. The journey begins tonight in the Windy City.
Zion by the NumbersYear-by-year averages, team records at Spartanburg Day.
Freshman (2014-15): 24.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists; 18-13, state runner-up
Sophomore (2015-16): 28.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists; 25-2, state champions
Junior (2016-17): 36.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists; 29-6, state champions
Senior (2017-18): 36.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists; 21-8, state champions
Career Highs
Zion's best outings at the high school level.
Points: 53 vs. Gray Collegiate, Dec. 20, 2016
Rebounds: 21 (twice)
Assists: 9 vs. Shannon Forest Christian, Jan. 19, 2018
Blocks: 10 vs. Asheville School, Nov. 17, 2015
Steals: 9 vs. Shannon Forest Christian, Feb. 10, 2017
