Zion Williamson hasn't 'even considered' returning to Duke, says stepfather
Surprise! Zion Williamson isn't considering withdrawing from the June 20 NBA draft to return to Duke.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst brought up the possibility during Wednesday's "The Jump," fueling all sorts of chatter that Williamson could use Duke as leverage to force the New Orleans Pelicans to trade the No. 1 overall pick they landed in Tuesday night's draft lottery.
But Williamson's stepfather, Lee Anderson, put an end to those rumors while making an appearance on ESPN radio on Thursday.
"There has been a lot of speculation, but that is not nothing that we have even considered," he said.
As Windhorst noted, Williamson, who hasn't yet hired an agent or signed a shoe deal, is eligible to withdraw from the draft up until June 10. So technically, if he'd rather end up in a place like Los Angeles or New York instead of New Orleans, he has options. But it doesn't sound like there's any chance of that happening.
"We met with (executive vice president of basketball operations) David Griffin, and then I spoke with him again last night," Anderson said. "We had a great conversation and we're excited about the prospects of coming down (to New Orleans) and getting settled and looking for a place to stay and all these good things."
For now, Williamson is laying low. He left Chicago on Wednesday after meeting with teams, according to the Associated Press, meaning he's not expected to partake in drills and measurements at Thursday’s NBA draft combine or speak to the media.