SNEAKER ATTACK
Zion blows through Nike, injuring knee & alarming Knicks fans
This wasn’t what Duke or Knicks fans wanted to see.
Zion Williamson was forced to leave the floor after suffering a “mild sprain” of his right knee 36 seconds into Wednesday’s game against rival No. 8 North Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Williamson grabbed his knee in pain after his Nike sneaker tore apart as he slipped and fell to the floor. The blue rubber sole ripped loose from the white shoe from the heel to the toes along its outside edge, with Williamson’s foot coming all the way through the large gap. Williamson — widely expected to be the first pick in the NBA draft — was taken to the locker room for observation.
The No. 1 Blue Devils weren’t the same without him, getting blown out 88-72 by their longtime instate rival. They were outscored 62-28 in the paint without their star big man.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said the injury could have been worse, but didn’t know how long his star will be out.
“We’re very concerned about Zion,” he said. “It’s a mild knee sprain. We will know about length of time [tomorrow.] It’s stable. Obviously it has an impact. You lose the NPOY [National Player of the Year] on the first play.”
According to ESPN, Williamson was jogging in the locker room after the injury, but couldn’t return. He wound up watching the rest of the game with his family.
Duke is four years into a 12-year deal with Nike as the exclusive supplier of uniforms, shoes and apparel. The private school didn’t disclose terms of the 2015 contract extension.
Nike has had an exclusive deal with the university since 1992. Puma originally looked to take advantage of the situation Wednesday night, tweeting: “Wouldn’t have happened in Pumas” before taking the tweet down.
“We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery,” Nike said in a statement. “The quality and perfor- mance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue.”
The freshman sensation was wearing the Nike PG 2.5, according to ESPN.com. It’s Thunder star Paul George’s signature shoe.
Fellow freshmen RJ Barrett (33 points) and Cam Reddish (27) tried to pick up the slack for Duke, but it wasn’t enough. Luke Maye led the Tar Heels with 30 points .
“It was just a shock for us,” Reddish said. “Obviously, we’re used to playing with him, so playing without him was very difficult. We missed him today.”
President Barack Obama, a noted college basketball fan, Spike Lee and Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. were in attendance.
The 11-47 Knicks, who have the second-worst record in the NBA, would have a 14 percent chance to get the No. 1 pick if they can remain among the three worst teams in the league. If the Knicks finish the season as the NBA’s worst team, they would be guaranteed a top-4 pick.