First Name Tom, Last Name Foolery… And I’m Everybody’s Uncle!

Especially this self-made millionaire… Zion Williamson.

Resplendent in a sparkling off-white tuxedo, Zion Williamson took his place onstage in New York as not only the top pick in the 2019 NBA draft Thursday night but also as the new face of the New Orleans Pelicans.

As the number one pick, Williamson is projected to make up to $44.2 million with a four-year contract, per the NBA’s rookie salary scale. The first two years of his contract are guaranteed at an estimated $20 million, with the team holding the options for the last two years of the deal, which are usually picked up.

Besides Williamson, two other top draft picks, Murray State’s Ja Morant, drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, & RJ Barrett, Williamson’s college teammate at Duke, selected by the New York Knicks, will cash in as well. Morant & Barrett are expected to as much as $40 million & $36 million over the four years, respectively.

The contract values are based on the rookie salary scale where teams can pay as little as 80% of the scale, but typically pay 120%, which is the maximum allowed, according to Nate Duncan, NBA podcaster & noted salary cap expert. The potential salaries are based on teams offering deals worth the maximum 20% above the rookie scale, Duncan said.

How did we get here? Williamson, the consensus college basketball player of the year at Duke, became the top choice after the Pelicans won the vaunted NBA draft lottery in April. Williamson’s selection ushers a new era in New Orleans as the Pelicans last week traded away its best player, the disgruntled All-Star Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers where he will be paired with NBA great, LeBron James.

These moves all come as the Toronto Raptors took a potential one-year risk by trading for Kawhi Leonard, who helped them win this year’s NBA championship by beating the defending champ Golden State Warriors. But now Leonard joins more than a dozen star NBA players who will be seeking millions when free agency begins next month.

“What happens this summer is one of the most seismic periods since 2010 (when James joined the Miami Heat) as there are so many free agents & teams who can take a step forward or back,” Duncan said.

“One key player can change the dynamic of a franchise.”

Moments after his name was called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver during Thursday’s draft, Williamson, with his mother by his side, couldn’t hold back his emotions.

“I’ve been dreaming about this since I was 4-(years-old) & for it to actually happen, I just thank God for it,” said Williamson, tears streaming down his face.

When asked what would like to say to his new fan base in New Orleans, Williamson simply said, “let’s dance!”

He later told reporters that there was always a slight chance he wouldn’t be the number one pick.

“But I guess you don’t know until you actually go through it,” Williamson said.

“Hearing my name called & I was able to make it on stage without a tear, shake the commissioner’s hand, but in the interview with my mom standing beside me, my emotions just took over.”

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By: Terry Collins

Image(s): Getty