Zion Williamson Reunites With Eighth-Grade Rival Who Tried To Guard Him In High School

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans has had his share of unforgettable moments, especially on the basketball court.

However, not all may be familiar with what went on during his high school days at Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina.

Some memories from that stint have come into focus as of late. There was one game where Williamson's school was up against Oakbrook Prep.

Given his frame and size, a player of the same make would understandably be tasked to guard the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year at the time.

But with Williamson's team ahead by 30 in the third quarter of that game between Spartanburg and Oakbrook, players who hardly got playing time would be given the chance.

However, the surprising thing is how a kid standing 5-foot-6 would end up guarding a much bigger Williamson at the time.

As shown in a video clip from @OldManAndThree, Williamson was a bit surprised himself being guarded by a player named Bryson Bishop.

Furthermore, there was a sequence when Bishop clapped as he was guarding Williamson at the time.

Bishop would eventually foul Williamson moments later.

Both Williamson and Bishop crossed paths on Friday, November 11, six years after that moment.

Both exchanged pleasantries with Bryson, now a freshman at Birmingham-Southern College, presenting the Pelicans star with one of his college jerseys.

Ironically, both Williamson and Bishop sported the same No. 1 jersey number.

A video of that meeting was posted on the official New Orleans Pelicans Twitter account.

Speaking on "The Old Man and Three" podcast hosted by J.J. Reddick, Williamson said that he respected Bishop for his tenacity and found that old sequence hilarious.

"Man, I'll never forget that. That was our rival," Williamson said. "What people don't know is, I got a lot of respect for him for doing that 'cause, you know, his teammates were so out of it that he was just trying to give them energy. And for him to be the one to come over there and do that, I got nothing but respect for him."

"But when it was happening at the moment, I was like, 'No way, don't disrespect me like that.'"