While watching a superstar in their prime is exhilarating, the raw emotion from seeing an old friend is on another level. That was the harsh reality that Zion Williamson had to realize. Despite his most consistent year, and a strong start to the season, he wasn’t the one to cause a riot on the TNT sets.

Instead, it was the man alongside him. A member of the security personnel long tenured with the league to help players navigate got a monstrous reaction from the crew, especially Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith. As the Inside the NBA broadcast cut to Zion making his way to the arena through the tunnels, the man leading the pack was the star of the show.

Kenny exclaimed in joy, “Chico!” Even Charles Barkley had to pitch in with a show of respect. “Chico Robinson”. However, it was the Kenny show as the Houston Rockets legend could not stop gushing.

“Yeah, CD…He used to protect us down there, now he’s protecting Zion Williamson.” Simultaneously, Ernie Johnson brought the attention to the supertar in question. “Oh yeah, Zion Williamson.” Unfortunately, being upstaged was the theme of the night for Williamson.

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Zion Williamson struggles in Pels victory

Despite a strong and resilient showing from the Pelicans as a whole, it was a rough night for Zion. Out of the team’s top 6 rotational pieces, he would end up with the least amount of points at 10. Further, he wasn’t his usually efficient or dominant self. After criticisms about his rebounding and fitness, a strong performance was a necessity from Z.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Nonetheless, the Pelicans still managed to come away with a win in Sacramento on the back of a 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists performance from Brandon Ingram.

However, with NOP hanging on, Zion will have a bigger stage in the Semi-Finals to make his mark. With a superstar showdown against a LeBron James-Anthony Davis pairing or the Kevin Durant-Devin Booker couple, it promises to be a big one.

Who will win? Let us know in the comments below.

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