In just his second season in the NBA, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has already reached 1,000 career points, making him the second-fastest player to reach the milestone after Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and the fastest active player to achieve the feat since Blake Griffin did it in his rookie year.
Ever since his explosive season at Duke, Williamson has been compared to Blake Griffin. Both, Williamson and Griffin, took 44 games to reach 1,000 points, and are the only active players to get there so fast. The all-time record is 28 games, which is held by Wilt Chamberlain during his 1959-60 rookie season.
The impressive moment came in the first quarter against Indiana that gave New Orleans back-to-back victories. After spinning away from initial defender Justin Holiday, the 6-foot-7 Pelicans star rose high above the rim for a two-handed jam above Myles Turner. The Pelicans (9-12) held on for the 114-113 win over the Pacers (12-11) to get their fourth win in six games. Williamson finished with 18 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three blocks to tie his career-high while shooting 6-of-12 (50%) and 6-of-9 (67%) from the free throw line.
According to Bleacher Report, the former Duke standout reached the 1K club faster than Joel Embiid, Allen Iverson, and even LeBron James.
After finishing second to Ja Morant in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2019-20, Williamson has upped his numbers across the board, recording 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1,1 steals entering the showdown versus Indiana.
