In 2016, Zion Williamson was a 15-year-old who wowed the crowd at Real Deal in the Rock with his power and leaping ability.
A gifted basketball player who was mildly committed to North Carolina at the time, he was yet to be a household name. But his reputation on the summer circuit was growing with each game.
His team was playing in Real Deal and its founder, Bill Ingram, introduced us to him, and he asked if we would like to get a picture.
Williamson was incredibly polite and would have stayed and visited as long as we wanted.
Consider that was three years ago. Patrick Alderson, my stepson, is now taller than yours truly and Williamson is even bigger.
After one year at Duke, he is a household name in the world of perspiring arts.
He is projected by everyone to be the first pick in tonight's NBA Draft.
That means as soon as he signs with the New Orleans Pelicans, he's a multimillionaire. He's guaranteed $8.12 million for his rookie season, and it can go as high as 120 percent of that amount. The deal will bump to about $12 million his second season.
That's serious money in the real world.
The NBA is not the real world.
Williamson most likely will sign a contract with a shoe company worth more than $100 million.
Nike really needs to sign him after he blew out a pair of their shoes and missed several games because of a strained knee that resulted when he made a cut and his left shoe came apart.
Last week, Williamson, who won't turn 19 until July 6, sued to end his deal with Prime Sports. He and CAA Sports claim the contract is unlawful.
He's the most talked about NBA Draft pick since LeBron James, and expectations are incredible for the 6-7, 280-pound young man who was born in North Carolina and grew up in South Carolina.
In his one season at Duke, the former McDonald's All-American was the Associated Press and Sporting News College Player of the Year. He was the ACC Player of the Year and won the Wayman Tisdale Award.
He was a point guard in middle school, but between his eighth- and ninth-grade years he grew 6 inches to 6-3 and moved to power forward. His high school team won three state championships.
Williamson was the subject of an intense recruiting battle that started when he was just a freshman.
And millions will stay up and watch until the final name is called.
For people like Etta Webster, a quiet wife and mother of one, this is like Christmas Eve. She is an avid NBA fan, her favorite team being the Memphis Grizzlies.
Playoff time is her favorite time of the year.
Many watching in Arkansas will be waiting to hear Daniel Gafford's name called.
Gafford, who is also a very nice young man, played for the University of Arkansas for two seasons before announcing he would not play in the NIT.
Very few, if any, have helped their NBA stock by playing in the NIT.
One thing is certain. Gafford will be playing professionally somewhere next season, either in the NBA or overseas.
Sports on 06/20/2019