NBA Star Zion Williams Opens Up About How Naruto Changed His Life

After gracing the cover of SLAM 210 at age 16 and emerging as a standout at Duke before being selected as the No. 1 overall selection of the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson has arguably been the most hyped, and electric NBA prospect in the terminal few years.

And yet, Williamson'southward journeying in the L hasn't always been the easiest—he saw action in only 24 games during his rookie yr after he tore his meniscus during the preseason. The post-obit year, he played in 61 games and fabricated his first All-Star appearance, merely to miss the entire 2021-22 season after suffering a cleaved foot that required surgery.

Some critics pointed to his work ethic, while others pointed to his weight, but in a recent interview with GQ, he says everything was out of his command. The injury put Williamson in a night identify.

"It'due south been a lot. I can sit here and explicate it, simply nobody will actually exist able to experience it the way I did. My foot was broken and I couldn't magically heal information technology. Information technology injure, because I love the game of basketball. But considering of it I was experiencing detest and pain from people I don't know every day, and it started to wear on me."

How did Williamson get himself through this tough time? Anime.

Zion has talked about his love for anime before, particularly the iconic Naruto series. He says that he's e'er viewed life through the eyes of Naruto and that the show'south storyline is an authentic reflection of his life.

"For a while nobody took Naruto seriously," he told GQ. "And then he went and trained with [Master Shinobi] Jiraiya for three years, correct? And he came back at 16 years old, goated.

"Sure enough, I'g xvi years old and suddenly all of the attention starts coming. I remember thinking, Yo, that's crazy. That's exactly when information technology happened for Naruto, and it'due south when it's happening for me."

When Williamson appeared on his first-ever SLAM encompass dorsum in high school, that's when he says that things actually started to striking him (you can check out all of Zion's SLAM covers here).

"It really hit me when SLAM put me on the cover," he said. "I remember realizing, Oh, this isn't just a high school thing. They're talking higher. They're talking the NBA."

But with stardom comes criticism, and Williamson has learned that the hard way. Later reportedly signing a five-year extension with the New Orleans Pelicans in July, Zion says he's ready to stay true to himself and his game.

"I had to come up to a realization," he explains. "No matter what the earth is saying, I have to recall that I am who I am and stay true to that. That's what Naruto did, and that'due south what I'm going to practice."

Believe the hype because when Zion Williamson makes his render, he's surely going to shock the world (word to SLAM 222).

Photos via Getty Images.

Source: https://www.slamonline.com/nba/zion-williamson-on-dealing-with-injuries-naruto-his-first-slam-cover/

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