Zion Williamson, the man-child from South Carolina, has taken the league by storm. It was to be expected after the hype he built up while at Duke University, utilizing his unique combination of size, strength and explosive to be bully players around the rim on both sides of the floor.
However, after a stalled start to his NBA career that saw him miss more than half of the season, Williamson has undoubtedly taken his place among the league’s future superstars. He’s on a historic scoring pace and the Pelicans are 8-8 with him in the lineup (they’re 26-35 on the season); New Orleans are 13.3 points better when he’s on the floor (per Basketball Reference).
The success has gotten Williamson a number of endorsements — from Gatorade to NBA 2K to Jordan Brand. Now, he’s got a multi-year partnership deal with Fanatics, according to ESPN’s Eric Woodyard for them to be his exclusive memorabilia dealer.
“More memorabilia products for Williamson have been sold since his NBA debut Jan. 22 than any other player across the Fanatics network (which includes NBAStore.com), according to the company. And for merchandise and memorabilia sales combined, he has been a top-five-selling NBA player, with a 175% spike in sales month over month.”
The fans are clearly clamoring for Williamson’s gear as the legend of Zion only continues to grow.
It’ll be interesting to see watch Williamson’s career as it progresses. With so many endorsements under his belt, the only thing he doesn’t have is a spot in Space Jam 2.