New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson recorded his first basket in the NBA on Wednesday night during his official debut against the San Antonio Spurs.
Williamson found the net during the second quarter with a putback layup following a miss from a Pelicans teammate. The home crowd immediately roared following the make as Williamson got on the board.
The No. 1 overall pick started the game for the Pelicans and logged just under four minutes in the first quarter after checking out with 8:09 left in the period.
Williamson returned to start the second quarter and logged about four minutes in the period before returning to the bench. Williamson recorded two points, three rebounds and one assist in the first half.
Zion's first NBA bucket! pic.twitter.com/fmWAFsCgU7
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 23, 2020
Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said prior to the game that Williamson will play in short bursts as he played in two first-half stints, totaling eight minutes between the appearances.
Williamson appeared to become comfortable on the floor the more he played. He began to play his style of basketball toward the end of his second stint on the floor by being aggressive and driving to the basket.
In addition to scoring his first bucket, Williamson also hit the court in the new Air Jordan XXXIV “Bayou Boys” sneaker, which features a reflective faux gator material.
The Pelicans trailed the Spurs for most of the first half.
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