New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson made his much-anticipated NBA debut yesterday. After a slow start, Williamson electrified the home crowd by scoring 17 straight points, including going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Although the Pelicans wound up losing to the San Antonio Spurs, Williamson provided an appetizing glimpse into his NBA potential. We thought we’d look back at the professional debuts of some of the league’s all-time greats and see how their performances compared to Williamson’s.
| Points | FG/FGA | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | Steals | |
|
Wilt Chamberlain
|
43 |
17-27 |
28 |
1 |
— |
— |
|
Oscar Robertson
|
21 |
8-20 |
12 |
10 |
— |
— |
|
Jerry West
|
20 |
7-16 |
2 |
5 |
— |
— |
|
Julius Erving
|
21 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
Larry Bird
|
14 |
6-12 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
Magic Johnson
|
26 |
10-21 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
|
Michael Jordan
|
16 |
5-16 |
6 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
|
Shaquille O’Neal
|
12 |
4-8 |
18 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
|
Kobe Bryant
|
0 |
0-1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Tim Duncan
|
15 |
6-9 |
10 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
LeBron James
|
25 |
12-20 |
6 |
9 |
0 |
4 |
|
Steph Curry
|
14 |
7-12 |
2 |
7 |
0 |
4 |
|
Kevin Durant
|
18 |
7-22 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
Zion Williamson
|
22 |
8-11 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |