Zion Williamson played in his signature Jordan Brand shoes for the first time during New Orleans Pelicans preseason game.

Before last night, it had been 549 days since Zion Williamson had played in an NBA game. However, his hard work and perseverance are already paying off. The 22-year-old scored 13 points in 15 minutes of play during the New Orleans Pelicans' preseason win over the Chicago Bulls.

A lot transpired over the past 18 months while Williamson was away from the game. One major development was the launch of Williamson's signature sneaker line with Jordan Brand. Sadly, the All-Star forward never got to play a game in the Jordan Zion 1.

While it was an inauspicious start to Williamson's sneaker line, there are some similar examples. His sponsor, Michael Jordan, only played 18 games in the Air Jordan 2 before breaking his foot. Likewise, Kobe Bryant missed significant amounts of time later in his career and had to rely on Los Angeles Lakers teammate Nick Young to debut the Nike Kobe 9.

The good news is Williamson is back, and he can count on his shoes to support him. As an added bonus, the performance basketball shoes are easily obtainable for hoopers and fans who want a pair. Below is everything consumers need to know about the first pair of signature kicks Williamson debuted.

View of the Jordan Zion 2 'Out of This World'

Williamson wore the Jordan Zion 2 in the 'Out of This World' colorway. The purple and black shoes are not available on Nike's website. But fans can purchase this exact colorway on sneaker resale websites like eBay, StockX, and GOAT for close to its $120 retail price.

Even better, there are four different colorways of the Jordan Zion 2 available on Nike's website right now. Not only are the shoes constructed for the most explosive of players, but the colorways are designed to pay tribute to Nike icons of the ’80s and ’90s. 

Williamson is back on the court and ready to put the league on notice. While it is disappointing that we never got to see him wear his first signature sneaker on court, it is safe to assume the dominant forward will make up for lost time during the 2022-23 NBA season. Stick with FanNationKicks.com for all of your shoe news.

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Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks and sneakers. He has reported on the NBA for several years, interviewed the biggest names in the sport, and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".