Adidas Accused Of Paying Zion Williamson’s Family Before Duke Commitment

New accusations claim Zion Williamson’s family received payments and benefits from Adidas before the basketball star played for Duke.

An ex-Adidas consultant said the company paid for the family’s airplane tickets and hotel stay, in addition to giving similar benefits to other college basketball players. Other direct payments were allegedly made to the family of the current New Orleans Pelicans’ star.

The allegations stem from court documents in the civil lawsuit between Adidas and former five-star recruit Brian Bowen. The documents say Adidas allegedly gave Williamson’s family four airline tickets and put them in a hotel in September 2015.

A letter from Adidas attorney William Taft to Bowen’s attorney said that Adidas “is aware of the following documents suggesting that certain fund transfers to Mr. Williamson or his family may have occurred.”

The letter was written in response to Bowen’s request for knowledge of funds transferred to Williamson’s family and was entered into records for the case being litigated in the U.S. District Court for South Carolina in Columbia, The Charlotte Observer reports.

Taft’s letter details nine payments, starting with $404 sent on Nov. 14, 2016, according to the Observer. A $1,107 payment on Feb. 14, 2017 was the largest single payment made, according to the letter. It also says Adidas executive Chris Rivers might have made payments to Williamson’s step-father.

“Rivers may have transferred $3,000 per month to the Williamson family for an unspecified period of time,” Taft wrote, and “Rivers may have transferred $1,000 to the Williamson family. ... Adidas does not know the specific purpose of these transfers.”

Duke, which has a shoe contract with Nike, previously said that it found no evidence of Williamson receiving improper benefits. The NCAA, which forbids family members of recruits from benefiting from such payments, cleared Williamson to play in 2018.

Williamson committed to Duke in January 2018. He was college basketball’s top player for the 2018-2019 season before leaving after his freshman year and becoming the No.1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. He recently signed a major shoe deal with Jordan Brand.