Zion Williamson Draws Inspiration From 'Naruto' Anime

Pelicans young star Williamson finds parallels between his career and Naruto’s.

Terry Kimble | Aug 25, 2022

Zion Williamson Draws Inspiration From 'Naruto' Anime /

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New Orleans Pelicans

In many instances, art is a genuine imitation of life. Zion Williamson thinks so as he compares himself to the popular anime show Naruto. Williamson recently was on a Comic-Con panel dedicated to the famous anime series. It was there where Williamson spoke on the inspiration the favorite anime show had in his life.

Naruto premiered in Japan in 1999, just one year before Williamson was born. Williamson admittedly stumbled across the show at the age of 5 and became instantly hooked. More than 15 years later, he is still hooked. Williamson says his journey mimics that of Naruto's.

"For a while nobody took Naruto seriously," he said. "And then he trained with [master shinobi] Jiraiya for three years, right? And he came back at 16 years old, goated."

There have been those who have not taken Zion seriously in his young career. From the naysayers talking about his weight or injury history, Zion has had his fair share of detractors.

His production cannot be denied when he's on the court. In his second season in the league, he averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 61.1 percent from the field. That production was good enough to earn him All-Star honors. Then an off-season foot injury derailed his entire 2021-2022 season. The injury and doubters weighed heavily on Zion.

"It's been a lot," Williamson said. "I can sit here and explain it, but nobody will really be able to feel it the way I did. My foot was broken and I couldn't magically heal it. It hurt, because I love the game of basketball. But because of it I was experiencing hate and pain from people I don't know every day, and it started to wear on me."

Everyone loves a great comeback story and Zion channeled his inner Naruto in preparation for the upcoming NBA season. "I had to come to a realization," he said. "No matter what the world is saying, I have to remember that I am who I am and stay true to that. That's what Naruto did, and that's what I'm going to do." If Zion can amass a fraction of the success, Naruto has, then the Pelicans can expect to be successful for many years to come.

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Published Aug 25, 2022

TERRY KIMBLE

Pelicans Scoop Writer