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Duke Basketball: Zion Williamson officially declares for the NBA Draft

By Kevin Connelly

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 05: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils moves the ball against the Boston College Eagles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 05, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 80-55. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 05: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils moves the ball against the Boston College Eagles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 05, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 80-55. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Duke Basketball star forward, Zion Williamson, has officially declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, leaving Duke after one season.

The inevitable has come true and it’s time for those dreamers and believers to face the reality, Zion Williamson will no longer be a Duke Blue Devil as he has officially declared for the 2019 NBA Draft.

The freshman from Spartanburg, South Carolina made the announcement on his Instagram page.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwSqOCCFyXE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Williamson was undoubtedly the best player in the country this season and it showed as he swept all of the National Player of the Year Awards.

Zion’s National Player of the Year Tour was capped off this weekend in Los Angeles when he was awarded the Karl Malone Award as the best power forward in the nation as well as winning the John R. Wooden Award as the best player in the nation.

In addition to those awards, Williamson won the ACC Freshman and Player of the Year, the AP Player of the Year, the Naismith Award, and was a consensus First Team All-American.

In his one spectacular season at Duke, Williamson averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 68.0% from the field and 33.8% from 3-point range.

Zion Williamson is widely considered to be the No. 1 overall selection in June’s NBA Draft, regardless of which team wins the NBA Draft Lottery.

Williamson joins his teammates and fellow freshmen R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish in the NBA Draft, as the fourth freshman, Tre Jones, announced that he will be returning to Duke for his sophomore season.

While the records and accomplishments Williamson set this year may go unmatched for quite awhile in Durham, one question still remains.

Will Duke retire Zion Williamson’s No. 1 and hang it in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium?

It’s something that many fans, analysts, and even former Duke players have called for, but under the rules Duke sets for retiring numbers, Williamson passes all the criteria except staying for four years and graduating.

Regardless of what happens with he possible retirement of his jersey Zion Williamson will stay as one of the most memorable and transcendent players in the history of the storied Duke Basketball program.

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