Relive all the drama from one of the 2019-20 NBA season's greatest games – Zion Williamson erupts for 17 straight fourth-quarter points in his NBA debut.
San Antonio Spurs 121-117 New Orleans Pelicans - January 22, 2020
The hype surrounding 2019 No 1 Draft pick Zion Williamson reached fever pitch as his NBA debut was delayed for three months after he suffered a knee injury in preseason.
When Williamson finally made his professional bow in January against the Spurs, the world was ready for something special.
It was a spectacular debut, even though it was curtailed by a minutes restriction. In his initial three four-minute bursts, Williamson did not do much, but in the fourth quarter he produced something truly special.
In a 17-point burst, he made all four three-pointers he attempted in the final period, stirring the Smoothie King Center crowd into a jubilant frenzy. He laid in an alley-oop lob and put back an offensive rebound with a reverse lay-up along with a handful of exciting assists and a number of huge rebounds.
Williamson's eruption advanced the Pelicans from 91 to 108 in 188 seconds but it was not enough to get the win. The minutes restriction meant he had to sit out the final 5:23 of the game. The Spurs took the honours thanks to 32 points from LaMarcus Aldridge.
But while the disappointment of that outcome did not linger for Pelicans fans, the extraordinary debut of their new star will certainly endure.
The numbers
Williamson ended the game with 22 points in 18 minutes of play. He made eight of his 11 attempts from the field (72.7 per cent), shot a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range and also contributed seven rebounds and three assists.
The performance
What they said
Zion Williamson
"It was nice to experience those emotions. I was happy to be out there and be able to run out there again, but what was going through my mind was just, 'Be calm'."
Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday
"The way he plays, that's something he can do every day. Adding Zion is a big part to what we want to do here and our success. As exciting as it was, is it really that much of a surprise?"
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry
"What you saw there is a taste of once we really get settled in and he gets settled in, you can see that there's a lot of things we can do with him. There is a lot of potential there. It was good to see him do that, but you know I think there is a really, really high ceiling that he can reach."
Steve Smith, NBA Gametime analyst
"He just got into the flow of the game, which is hard enough for a young guy, let alone one coming back from injury. With all that hype around him, that was really impressive. What he did in that fourth quarter showed us why he was selected No 1 in the Draft."
What happened next?
Since Williamson's debut, the Pelicans have ramped up his minutes and the 19-year-old has continued to terrorise opponents. His numbers over his first 10 appearances placed him in some elite company.
His 221 total points in those games is the third most since 1990 - only Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson scored more in their first 10 NBA games.
In eight of those 10 games, Williamson scored 20 or more points. The last NBA rookie to do that was Michael Jordan (1984-85).
Now 19 games into his NBA career, Williamson is averaging 23.6 points per game with a 58.9 field goal percentage.