Zion Williamson and Ja Morant Were Once on Same AAU Team

Ja Morant and Zion Williamson will forever be paired as the top two prospects in the 2019 NBA Draft, Yet, before that, they were teammates.

Morant and Williamson were once on the same AAU team in South Carolina, called the South Carolina Hornets.

If you were wondering how this team ever lost, we're right there with you.

“It’s so funny because if I knew (they’d become stars), a lot more pictures would’ve been taken,” Ricky Taylor, the real estate agent who established the AAU program that brought Williamson and Morant together, told the Athletic. “Back then, we were just trying to help these kids get to college. Trying to get them to college for a free education.”

Williamson, of course, would go on to generate much recruiting publicity in his later high school years and attend Duke, while Morant would take the path less travelled to Murray State. The Pelicans star opened up about the experience earlier this season, stating that he and Morant were merely roll players on the team due to their age.

Years later, and both players can laugh at the respect, or lack thereof, they received at various points in the recruiting process. They'll always have their AAU connection.