Yahoo Finance Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson signs exclusive deal with sports memorabilia site Fanatics
Zion Williamson impressed audiences from the moment he rose to fame during his freshman year at Duke. Now, supporters of the New Orleans Pelicans rookie will have a chance to own exclusive merchandise personally signed by the 19-year-old himself. On Wednesday, sports merchandise retailer Fanatics officially announced a multi-year partnership with the rising star.
Although he spent the first half of his rookie season recovering from knee surgery, Williamson made his long-awaited career debut earlier this year and has lived up to expectations. The North Carolina native currently leads all rookies in scoring, coming off an impressive 35-point performance against Western Conference leaders the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night.
“Zion is one of the NBA’s most electric young talents, and we are incredibly excited to have him join our Fanatics team to create an unprecedented offering of authentic items for fans everywhere,” Fanatics Authentic executive vice president Victor Shaffer said about the partnership. “We’ve seen incredible demand for both his Duke Blue Devils and New Orleans Pelicans products from fans around the world, and through this partnership will now be able to offer the most real-time assortment of officially licensed products ever available.”
What’s remarkable about Williamson’s signature is the manner in which he signs his name. As a lefty, he begins with his last name, then moves across and writes his first. A unique characteristic for already one of the leagues most exciting players.
Williamson merchandise will be exclusively sold on Fanatics’ network of retail sites, including NBAStore.com and PelicansTeamStore.com. Those attending Pelicans home games can also purchase gear bearing his likeness at the team’s in-venue shop at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
