Zion Williamson met former President Barack Obama, and he was shaken.
Williamson, touted as the latest NBA prodigy for the New Orleans Pelicans, was overwhelmed when he met Obama at the NBA Cares event Friday morning in Chicago.
The event is meant to be a part of the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities, ESPN reported, featuring musicians, chefs and Instagram stars and actors.
For Williamson, his opportunity to meet Obama was one of his top life experiences ever, which is saying a lot, considering the first draft pick is averaging more than 20 points per game in his first NBA season.
"This could be No. 1," the New Orleans Pelicans forward told ESPN. "I don't want to say it is No. 1 right now because the draft might be one, but this is definitely the top two."
The NBA Cares event, like the NBA All-Star Weekend, is being held in Chicago. When Obama, an NBA fan, visited the Wintrust Arena, basketball coaches and the players themselves were thrilled to see the former president.
Obama can be seen packing backpacks with Zion Williamson and Trae Young, a 21-year-old, point guard for the Atlanta Hawks who is thought to be gifted as well, at the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service.
The three men packed school supplies into backpacks for children for 20 minutes.
Barack Obama is packing backpacks with Zion Williamson and Trae Young at the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service. pic.twitter.com/HFrqrd4mLS
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) February 14, 2020
"It was crazy being able to stand next to him, talk to him," Young told ESPN. "He basically knew everything about my season, my game. I was definitely asking him a lot of questions. He was just like a regular person — that's what was crazy. You see all these things on TV and you don't even realize. He was just talking to me like a regular person."
Williamson was particularly stunned to find out Obama is one of the NBA star's fans backing date to when he played college basketball for the Blue Devils at Duke University.
Zion Williamson talks about meeting Barack Obama and how surprised he was that he knew everything about his career from Duke to New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/2uwlbxcFzS
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) February 14, 2020
"He said I played great, and I kind of zoned out after that," Williamson said. "Still giddy. "That was all I needed to hear, to be honest."
Tonight, All-Star Weekend kicks off with both the Celebrity Game and Rising Stars Challenge; tomorrow is the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, including the Skills Challenge (first event), Three-Point Contest (second event) and Slam Dunk Contest (third event); and the main event, the All-Star Game, is scheduled for Sunday.