Zion Williamson And LaMelo Ball Played An AAU Game In July And Everyone Was Watching
Zion Williamson and LaMelo Ball are two of the biggest names in high school basketball right now, and on Wednesday night their teams faced off in an AAU matchup. Big Baller Brand and SC Supreme met at the Adidas Summer Championships in Las Vegas, and the gym was overfilled 70 minutes before tip-off.
It was so crowded that local cops almost canceled the game because the building had exceeded its capacity.
Williamson is widely considered the best player in the 2018 recruiting class, while Ball is the 16th-ranked player in the 2019 class on the 247 composite. Ball has committed to UCLA, while Williamson remains undecided on his future college.
Adidas-sponsored NBA stars like Andrew Wiggins and Damian Lillard were courtside for the game, while Lonzo Ball was there to support his younger brother. Meanwhile, Bill Self, Thon Maker and Jamal Murray all showed up as well.
Williamson is a path to be one of the greatest dunkers in basketball history and he was showing off for the packed crowd during warm-ups:
" Zion Williamson being INSANE ? @ZionW32 #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/TDf8u79wUp — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" Zion Williamson giving fans their money’s worth during warm ups. pic.twitter.com/qbXMAhg3Ei — Krysten Peek (@KP_Rivals) July 27, 2017 "
Everyone was shocked by the atmosphere:
Bill Self to ESPN on the scene here tonight: "Unreal. Never seen anything like it."
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) July 27, 2017
Not sure adidas even realized the attention the Zion vs Ball game would draw. Admittedly haven't seen an atmosphere like this in AAU before.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) July 27, 2017
Been coming to summer events for years. Never seen anything like the scene tonight at Cashman when LaVar Ball walked in. Cameras everywhere.
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) July 27, 2017
Ballislife live-streamed the game and at one point had more than 77,000 live viewers. Just as a reminder, this was an AAU basketball game in late July that tipped off at midnight eastern, and the entire basketball world was focused on it.
Given some of the highlights, I’m actually not shocked:
" ZION VS LAMELO ? pic.twitter.com/Qbe6gEXoF3 — Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) July 27, 2017 "
" Zion Williamson with ALL the moves ? @ZionW32 #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/eg7QZGZAHQ — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" Zion Williamson CAN’T BE STOPPED ? @ZionW32 #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/ZqSVG5EUov — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" ALLEY OOP ACTION for Zion ? @ZionW32 #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/Gr8C6I6tZN — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" LaMelo Ball had them SLIDING ? @MELOD1P #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/xzWxpPz0Er — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" LaMelo Ball banks it in ? @MELOD1P #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/FeZofSesLr — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" LOB IT UP TO ZION WILLIAMSON ? @ZionW32 #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/o9ttQ61Lcz — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" “Get out the way” ? #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/ZIaP6BKRcp — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" Every time it’s a bucket ? @ZionW32 pic.twitter.com/tLf30QNQ94 — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" this is why zion vs. lamelo ball has 75 thousand people watching teens put a ball through a hoop pic.twitter.com/UfmDK3epk0 — Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) July 27, 2017 "
" LaMelo Ball OVER ZION ? @MELOD1P #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/HMCB3ZVfsi — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
" LaMelo Ball makes them FALL ? @MELOD1P #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/hKzFur5lqL — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
Williamson even iced the game with a steal and a huge dunk:
" Oh my goodness this dude Zion Williamson can FLY ✈️ pic.twitter.com/NppGqYAk3k — LaRob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) July 27, 2017 "
" Zion Williamson SEALS THE WIN ? @ZionW32 #adidasUprising pic.twitter.com/1mMuEovYAQ — Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017 "
It was an absolutely crazy atmosphere. In fact, the only person not super-hyped for the matchup seemed to be the son of SC Supreme’s coach:
Zion Williamson's AAU coach on the sidelines with his son asleep AF in his arms. Loudest gym in America this kid is LIGHTS OUT pic.twitter.com/oo6xraQ2Zv
— Podfathers Podcast (@PodfathersShow) July 27, 2017
The game had everything, including a technical foul for LaVar Ball:
LaVar Ball just got a technical foul. He's now pleading his case to the scorer's table.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) July 27, 2017
Can LaVar Ball get ANOTHER TECH? ? pic.twitter.com/DlyMQPzAyb
— Overtime (@overtime) July 27, 2017
SC Supreme came out with the win 104-92, and Williamson posted 31 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, LaMelo finished with 36 points, nine rebounds and five assists.