THE EVER-growing family of ambassadors of the Jordan Brand has added top National Basketball Association rookie pick Zion Williamson to its roster.
Set to play for the New Orleans Pelicans, Mr. Williamson, who hails from Florence, South Carolina, and played one year of collegiate ball at Duke University, is one of the new faces added by the brand.
He joins Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, fellow Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards, WNBA players Asia Durr and Kia Nurse and National Football League rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins as the latest athletes now affiliated with the brand bearing the “Jumpman” logo.
Other star athletes part of the brand are Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets and Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of the Jordan Brand family,” said Mr. Williamson in a statement shared to members of media announcing his signing with the Jordan Brand.
“Since I was a kid, I dreamed of making it to the league and having the type of impact on the game Michael Jordan had and continues to have today. He was one of those special athletes I looked up to, and I really can’t express how happy and excited I am for this journey,” Mr. Williamson, 19, added.
For the Jordan Brand, adding an athlete like Mr. Williamson to its roster is something it is very high on as it sees the NBA rookie representing what it is as brand.
“Zion’s incredible determination, character and play are inspiring. He’s an essential part of the new talent that will help lead the brand into the future. He told us he would ‘shock the world,’ and asked us to believe him. We do,” NBA legend Michael Jordan said of Mr. Williamson.
“Over the last 34 years we’ve built an incredible roster of talent with the same determination and greatness as MJ. There is something special about Zion that reminds me of MJ when he was younger,” Howard White, Vice President of Jordan Brand Affairs, for his part, said.
Mr. Williamson is set to lead a new-look Pelicans team, taking over from the now-departed Anthony Davis, who is now with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Joining the top rookie pick in New Orleans’ NBA recalibration are Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, JJ Reddick and Derrick Favors along with holdover Jrue Holiday.
The Pelicans finished with a 33-49 record last season, missing the playoffs. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
