Zion Williamson Won't Participate in Dunk Contest 'Unless Something Changes My Mind'

Williamson dunked his way to All-America honors and the Wooden Award in his lone season at Duke in 2018-19.

Entering the NBA's dunk contest during All-Star Weekend used to be a right of passage for the league's young stars as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter showcased their skills on a national stage.

But Zion Williamson appears to be taking the LeBron James route, telling ESPN's Rachel Nichols on Wednesday he's uninterested in the contest during his rookie year.

"I don't think I'm going to do [the dunk contest] to be honest, unless something changes my mind," Williamson said. "I'm not much of a dunk contest person, it's kind of like I just do it in warmups to get myself going... We already got some great dunkers, they won't be missing nothing with me."

Sat down for a great chat with @ZionWilliamson today.
1. He’s fun.
2. We talked about everything from his expectations of the Pelicans to the poetry he’s written.
3. 🚨 HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE IN THE DUNK CONTEST 🚨
(I swear I tried to talk him into it) pic.twitter.com/WCIiWFEzYW

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 20, 2019

Williamson was arguably college basketball's most prolific dunker in 2018-19. He soared his was through the ACC en route to All-America honors, later becoming the sixth Duke player to win the Wooden Award. 

The former Blue Devils' phenom is slated to be the top pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night. The Pelicans are expected to take Williamson at No. 1 and Virginia forward De'Andre Hunter at No. 4, according to Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo's latest mock draft.

The 2019 draft will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 7 p.m. ET.