Zion Williamson is expected to return to the court for the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night as they take on Syracuse in the ACC Tournament. Williamson, one of the most electric players in college basketball, hasn't played since his bizarre shoe explosion during a game against North Carolina. Announcing the news on Instagram, Duke appeared to reveal that Williamson will be wearing a different type of Nike shoe for his return. Zion Williamson is back. After missing six games because of his bizarre shoe explosion in the opening seconds of Duke's game against North Carolina, Williamson will be back on the court for the Blue Devils on Thursday night as they take on Syracuse in the ACC Tournament. Read more: Wild photos show Zion Williamson's shoe after it exploded and he injured his knee Announcing Williamson's return on Instagram, the Duke men's basketball account also appeared to reveal one notable change for their superstar — his footwear. Lace ‘em up #DukeKicks 😈 A post shared by Duke Men's Basketball (@dukembb) on Mar 14, 2019 at 9:13am PDT Mar 14, 2019 at 9:13am PDT Williamson is seen here lacing up the Nike Kyrie 4s. This is a change from what Williamson was wearing on the day of his infamous shoe explosion — Paul George's signature shoe, the PG 2.5s. Read more: Zion Williamson was wearing a $110 pair of Nike sneakers when one shoe exploded and he injured his knee It's no surprise that Williamson is switching out his kicks — had he put on another pair of PG 2.5s, Duke fans across the country would have likely been holding their collective breath until March Madness was over. However, Williamson's decision to return to the court at all was a surprise to some in the sports world. After Williamson's injury, some suggested he sit out the remainder of the season because he had already done enough to be widely considered the top overall pick in the NBA draft, and any more time on the court could mean another injury that damages his earnings as a professional. Read more: The NBA world called on Zion Williamson to sit out the rest of the college season after his freak injury reignited a debate over NCAA rules But Williamson has decided to come back and finish out the season with the Blue Devils. Ranked fifth in the nation, a win at the ACC Tournament could be enough to vault Duke back into a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With Williamson back in the starting five, it's tough to doubt the Blue Devils. Zion Williamson explained why highlights of his jaw-dropping dunks used to upset him Zion Williamson made his most athletic play yet with a blocked shot that will blow your mind Charles Barkley called out critics who argued Zion Williamson should sit out the rest of the year to stay healthy for the NBA after his shoe exploded Paul George says he spoke with Nike after Zion Williamson tore through his shoe, and nobody knows how it happened<doc-sep>It's been nearly a month since Zion Williamson's sneaker blowout hear 'round the world. Which honestly seems pretty crazy, considering how fresh the failure of the Duke forward's PG 2.5 shoes is in our collective memory. Still, the incident happened all the way back on February 20, leaving the 6'7", 285-pound player with a sprained knee and an extended stint off the court—and giving Nike more than enough time to ensure his new shoes don't suffer the same fate. Williamson hit the hardwood last night wearing a different style than the ill-fated pair from last month: the Kyrie 4. According to Dan Wolken of USA Today, who spoke with Duke's Coach K (aka Mike Krzyzewski) about the new kicks, Nike sent its "top people" to Durham after Williamson's shoes bit the dust. ESPN's Allison Williams reports that they were there to measure and fit the new custom sneakers to Williamson. That same team then went to China to oversee the actual production of the shoes. It seems Nike was very serious about lightning not striking twice. Icon Sportswire Getty Images SHOP THE KYRIE COLLECTION It also seems the Swoosh's efforts paid off. For one thing, Williamson's shoes didn't explode last night (though that's a pretty low bar to clear). More telling, in all likelihood, is the quote the hotly tipped NBA prospect gave to Wolken after he led Duke to a 84-72 victory over Syracuse: "The shoes were incredible this game." Basketball sneaker sales are down across the board, and according to NPD Group's Matt Powell, are expected to continue to dip in 2019. That means Nike really needed a win, even if only in the short term. Last night, it got one. Kyrie 4 Nike nike.com $95.97 SHOP NOW Jonathan Evans Jonathan Evans is the style director of Esquire, covering all things fashion, grooming, accessories, and, of course, sneakers. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Zion Williamson injured his knee just 33 seconds into Wednesday night's highly anticipated game against rival North Carolina. Williamson tried to cut with the basketball and when he planted his left foot, the shoe exploded. The Duke freshman sensation immediately grabbed his left knee as he fell to the floor and left the game with an undisclosed injury. Getty photographers captured some wild images of the shoe after it exploded. The highly anticipated matchup between Duke and North Carolina took an ugly turn just 33 seconds into the game as Zion Williamson injured his knee. Williamson was attempted to make a cut when his shoe exploded. He immediately grabbed his right knee as he fell to the floor. Read more: Zion Williamson's shoe exploded and he appeared to injure his knee in first minute against North Carolina Nike took a lot of heat on social media for the seemingly defective shoe. Getty photographers Lance King and Streeter Lecka captured some jaw-dropping shots of the shoe after it exploded. This wasn't just a case of some weak glue. Zion Williamson's Nike shoe. Lance King/Getty Images Williamson walked off the court with a limp. He later went to the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Read more: Camera caught Obama's reaction the moment Zion Williamson's shoe exploded and he injured his knee Here is another angle. Zion Williamson's shoe exploded. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Here is a replay of the injury, via ESPN.<doc-sep>
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images As Duke star Zion Williamson appeared in his first game since he suffered a Grade 1 knee sprain by blowing out his shoe in a Feb. 20 loss to North Carolina, Nike did everything in its power to ensure the Blue Devils phenom would avoid a repeat occurrence. During his first game in nearly a month, Williamson led Duke to an 84-72 victory over Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the 2019 ACC tournament. He paced the Blue Devils with 29 points, 14 rebounds, one steal and five blocks on 13-of-13 shooting from the field. After making the switch from PG 2.5s to custom Kyrie 4s, Williamson called his latest sneakers "incredible," per Dan Wolken of USA Today. That's good news for Nike, which put a lot of effort into making sure the shoes held up. ESPN's Allison Williams reported during the game that Nike flew a team of employees to Durham in order to properly measure the 6'7", 285-pound forward: Video Play Button Videos you might like Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski added afterward, per Wolken, that Nike sent "their top people" to campus the day after the blowout incident. Those employees then made a trip to China to oversee production of the sneakers. According to Wolken, Coach K attributed the Feb. 20 blowout to "wear and tear" and noted the star will now be switching shoes more frequently. The Kyrie 4s passed their first test, but the season is far from over. Williamson will be back in action Friday night with a trip to the ACC championship game on the line as he gets his first true meeting with archrival North Carolina.