Zion Williamson made his Madison Square Garden debut on Sunday afternoon and it appears he loves the building.
After the game, Williamson had nothing but praise for the venue, even naming it his favorite place to play outside of New Orleans.
“New York is the mecca of basketball. I love playing here,” Williamson said, via Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I played here in college [at Duke]. This is my first time playing in the pros. This atmosphere, whether they’re cheering for you or booing you, it’s amazing. Outside of New Orleans, obviously, this might be my favorite place to play. I can’t lie to you.”
Advertisement
Williamson’s feelings about New York aren’t a secret. He assumed he was going to get drafted by the Knicks during his freshman season at Duke.
“I’d love to play for the Knicks,” Williamson said in 2018 after a Duke game at MSG. But the lottery ping-pong balls fell New Orleans’ way that season, leaving the Pelicans with prize of the draft and the Knicks settling for his Duke teammate RJ Barrett.
While Williamson’s Pelicans lost to the Knicks at the Garden, he still dropped 34 points. Knicks fans can imagine Williamson in their home team jersey should note, he will be a free agent in 2023.