Duke vs. UNC: Zion Williamson Out After Shoe Explodes, MCL Sprain Suspected

UPDATE: 12:25 a.m. EST - Zion Williamson’s shoe explosion and eventual injury during the Duke Blue Devils game against University of North Carolina Tar Heels brought a lot of heat on Nike. Many were mocking the sportswear manufacturing giant, including rival Puma. And it is not the first time this has happened, with the likes of Manu Ginobli also suffering the same fate in the past.

Nike issued a statement in the aftermath of the incident, wishing the small forward a speedy recovery and confirming it would look into the issue despite it being an isolated case.

Original story:

Zion Williamson went down with an injury just 33 seconds into the Duke Blue Devils’ game against the North Carolina Tar Heels after his shoe exploded while he was making a play. The injury, however, was not on the same leg as the ripped shoe.

The country’s No.1 basketball prospect was immediately taken to the locker room and was joined there by his mother and step-father. It was initially hoped he would return to court, but Duke later confirmed Williamson would not return after suffering a knee injury.

It will come as a bitter blow to the Blue Devils as their game against the University of North Carolina was dubbed as the “game of the year” owing to the rivalry between the two teams. Fans would be disappointed too, since the country’s top prospect, along with five other projected first-round draft picks, were supposed to be on display, the Washington Post reported.

The game, being played in front of ESPN’s national television audience, was said to have cost some fans over $3,000 for a single ticket. There was so much hype surrounding the game that the former President Barack Obama was also in attendance.

The majority of the crowd would have come to see Williamson in action, the player projected to be the No.1 Draft pick in 2019. Harvard trained orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Adickes believes it was an MCL sprain with no damage to the ACL, which would have been season-ending, and was hopeful the small forward could return for the NCAA Tournament.

After making a poor start to the game, when they were trailing by over 15 points, the Blue Devils reduced the deficit to 10 points at half-time.

The reactions to Williamson's injury ranged from shock about the way the shoe exploded, which in turn led to mockery aimed toward shoe manufacturer Nike, while there were many also questioning the need for the forward to play and risk injury ahead of the NBA Draft season, especially since he was playing the game for free.

Sportswear giant Puma seemed to be one of the first to react, but quickly deleted its mocking tweet. However, other Twitter users were quick to grab a screenshot which was later shared across the platform.