[ad_1]
DURHAM, NC – Zion Williamson, the Duke's first-year sensation, was forced to leave Wednesday's game against rival North Carolina after just 36 seconds with Blue Devils coach Mike Kzryzewski, qualified "slight sprained knee".
After Duke star Zion Williamson left Wednesday's game against North Carolina after a knee injury, Caesars Palace extended Blue Devils' chances of winning the national title from +200 to +250.
-
Duke's Zion Williamson left the match with a knee injury after he broke the left shoe and NBA players reacted on social networks.
1 related
Williamson took his right knee in pain after slipping awkwardly and falling when his left Nike basketball shoe collapsed while he was crashing hard while dribbling close to the free throw line of the first game. The blue rubber sole is detached from the white shoe from heel to toe along the outer edge, Williamson's foot crossing the large hole.
He went limping slightly but on his own before returning to the locker room without shoes.
After the game, after an 88-72 loss to the Blue Devils, Kzryzewski said Williamson's knee was stable and the timing of his return would be determined on Thursday.
Former President Barack Obama, sitting along the base line near the Duke's bench, sent encouragement to Williamson as he was leaving the court.
1:04
Mike Krzyzewski does not know the schedule after Zion Williamson's knee injury and laments the loss of another important player at the start of Duke's defeat.
Williamson wore the iconic star Paul George's shoe, the Nike PG 2.5, in an exclusive Duke color.
Duke signed a 12-year contract with Nike as an exclusive supplier of uniforms, shoes and clothing. The private school has not revealed the terms of the contract extension of 2015. Nike has been an exclusive agreement with the university since 1992.
An all access series documenting the preparation of the Blue Devils for the 2018-2019 season, exclusively on ESPN +. Watch on ESPN +
Messages addressed to Nike were not immediately returned.
Duke looked lost without Williamson. Meanwhile, North Carolina took advantage of Zion's hole size in the track, scoring 32 of his first 34 points in the paint and finishing with a 62-28 advantage. The Tar Heels never let themselves be dragged, pushed their lead to 22 with about 16 minutes and hold on.
Williamson, the second-leading scorer in the ACC with 22.4 points per game, has emerged as the most exciting player in college basketball with his array of dunks and athleticism once in a generation.
The duke then plays Saturday at number 18 of Syracuse (18 pm, Eastern Time, on ESPN).
Associated Press contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link