Zion injury a ‘mild knee sprain,’ Coach K says

Zion Williamson hurts his knee less than a minute into the game and will not return against North Carolina. (0:45)

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke freshman sensation Zion Williamson was forced out of Wednesday night’s game against rival North Carolina after just 36 seconds with what Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski called a “mild knee sprain.”

After Duke star Zion Williamson left Wednesday’s game against North Carolina with an apparent knee injury, Caesars Palace lengthened the Blue Devils’ odds of winning the national title from +200 to +250.

Duke’s Zion Williamson left the game with an apparent knee injury after breaking his left shoe and NBA players reacted on social media.

Williamson grabbed his right knee in pain after slipping awkwardly and falling when his left Nike basketball shoe fell apart as he planted hard while dribbling near the free throw line on the opening play. The blue rubber sole ripped loose from the white shoe from the heel to the toes along the outside edge, with Williamson’s foot coming all the way through the large gap.

He walked off with a slight limp but under his own power before heading back to the locker room with no shoes on his feet.

After the game, a 88-72 Blue Devils loss, Krzyzewski said that Williamson’s knee was stable and that a timetable for his return would be determined Thursday.

Former President Barack Obama, sitting along the baseline near the Duke bench, shouted out encouragement to Williamson as he left the court.

Mike Krzyzewski doesn’t know the timetable after Zion Williamson’s knee injury and laments losing another big player early in a Duke loss.

Williamson was wearing the Nike PG 2.5, Thunder star Paul George‘s signature shoe from the fall, in a Duke exclusive colorway.

Duke is four years into a 12-year deal with Nike as the exclusive supplier of uniforms, shoes and apparel. The private school didn’t disclose terms of the 2015 contract extension. Nike has had an exclusive deal with the university since 1992.

An all-access series documenting the Blue Devils’ preparation for the 2018-19 season, exclusively on ESPN+. Watch on ESPN+

Messages to Nike were not immediately returned.

Duke looked lost without Williamson. Meanwhile, North Carolina took advantage of the Zion-sized hole in the lane, scoring 32 of its first 34 points in the paint and finishing with a 62-28 scoring advantage there. The Tar Heels never trailed, pushed their lead to 22 with about 16 minutes left and held on.

Williamson, the ACC’s second-leading scorer at 22.4 points per game, has established himself as arguably the most exciting player in college basketball with his array of dunks and once-in-a-generation athleticism.

Duke next plays Saturday at No. 18 Syracuse (6 p.m. ET on ESPN).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.espn.com/espn/rss/news