Zion Williamson provided a heartwarming moment this week for basketball fans and Internet meme enthusiasts alike.
The New Orleans Pelicans shared before Friday’s preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks that Williamson had reunited with his old buddy from high school, Bryson Bishop. Take a look.
Two old friends: @Zionwilliamson and Bryson Bishop (@B_P_B_2) met up before tonight’s game 😄 pic.twitter.com/ZIml9zfQzB
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 14, 2022
Actually, the two were not buddies in high school at all. Instead, they were opponents who battled each other when Williamson was with Spartanburg Day School and Bishop was with Oakbrook Prep (both in South Carolina).
Bishop, who was all of 5-foot-6 at the time, went viral for his refusal to back down during a 2017 game against Williamson, whom he had been assigned to defend. Though Williamson was already an elite prospect at the time (and about a foot taller), Bishop did his best to body up Williamson, creating a memorable moment in Internet lore.
Zion Williamson vs Bryson Bishop @Zionwilliamson @B_P_B_2 https://t.co/k7eFXBl9fz pic.twitter.com/MFkCs6V57i
— Chad (@ChadBlue83) October 15, 2022
Williamson would go on to be a National College Player of the Year at Duke, go No. 1 overall to the Pelicans in the 2019 NBA Draft, and make an All-Star team, all before turning 21. As for Bishop, Sports Illustrated shares that he is now a freshman guard at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama.
When you consider what a athletic specimen Williamson already was at the time of their meeting, it is easy to see why people still remember Bishop for his heart and competitive fire some five years later.
