An injury to Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson Wednesday night has reignited the ever popular debates centered around college basketball and the NBA. First, should players be required to wait a year out of high school before becoming a pro? Second, should college players be paid as a result of the massive amounts of revenue that players, especially ones with as much potential as Zion, are attracting for their programs?
Williamson’s injury ended up not being as severe as some initially feared (a Grade 1 sprain of the knee), but it prompted many to wonder if risking your health and draft status is worth playing a year in college for free. Denver Nuggets’ Isaiah Thomas had some strong words to Zion in this regard:
Many have echoed Thomas’ thoughts, agreeing that Zion should sit out the rest of the season in order to ensure that he’s healthy in time for the draft. Regardless of your opinion on the NCAA and NBA rules that forced Zion to play a year in college without pay before going pro, it’s safe to say everybody breathed a sigh of relief when it was revealed his injury wasn’t severe.
It’s also cool to see so many professional athletes take to social media to express their concern over the careers of younger athletes that they will soon compete with and against. While it looks as though Zion will be terrorizing opponents for years to come in the NBA, players seem to be anxious for that challenge.
