Nike releases statement on Zion Williamson’s return to the court

Stud Duke freshman Zion Williamson will return to the court for the Blue Devils’ ACC Tournament Game against Syracuse Thursday.

It’s the first time the likely No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft will be on the court since suffering a freak injury against North Carolina back on February 20.

Said injury saw Williamson’s shoe literally break. Since then, Nike has received a ton of push back from the public regarding the quality of its products.

The company released a statement after learning of Williamson’s return in the conference tourney.

“We’re thrilled to see Zion returning to the court. After working closely with the Duke Basketball team to examine the issue, we are confident that this was an isolated incident,” the press release read. “We continue to work with Duke, and all of our partner programs, to ensure we are providing the best product for their athletes.”

It’s a general run-of-the-mill statement. But it also underscores just how big Williamson is to both the industry and the broader basketball world.

For his part, Mt. Zion decided to switch from Paul George’s Nike shoes to Kyrie Irving’s version for Thursday’s game.

Hopefully Williamson can avoid another freak injury.